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Economic · Economic

Oil prices found a footing on Wednesday following recent drops, as discussions aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz progressed. Traders are keenly watching the U. S. -Iran negotiations, knowing that an agreement could ensure the unhindered passage of commercial ships. Analysts warn that sustained disruptions could lead to significant hikes in oil prices, although some experts anticipate a decline by 2027.

Economic · Economic

Currency markets took a breather as the Japanese yen gained traction, influenced by recent intervention measures. Meanwhile, the U. S. dollar index lingered near its six-week lows, buoyed by positive developments in the Middle East. S. Falling oil prices alleviated concerns about potential supply disruptions, leading traders to adjust risk premiums and reassess expectations around Fed rate hikes. The focus now turns to forthcoming U.

Economic · Economic

Gold traded in a narrow range, as the prospect of an interim deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz eased inflation concerns and reduced the odds of the US Federal Reserve raising interest rates.

Economic · Economic

Labour Friends of Israel defends major West Bank settlement blocs Submitted by Imran Mulla on Tue, 08/04/2026 - 11:59 Lobby group publishes briefing urging the Burnham government not to ban settlement goods A picture taken from the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron shows the Israeli Gush Etzion settlement bloc on 5 March 2017 (AFP) Off The Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) lobby group has published a report apparently justifying some illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine and urging the British government not to ban goods produced by them. This comes as Andy Burnham's Labour government is believed to be considering imposing a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, which according to British policy are all in occupied Palestinian territory. LFI is a group within the Labour Party which is believed to count more than 70 MPs as affiliates, although it no longer keeps a public list. The group published a policy briefing report late last week titled "Settlements and Solutions: A Guide to the Issues". The report, reviewed by Middle East Eye, argues against a ban on Israeli settlement goods. All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including the major blocs, are illegal under international law. The International Court of Justice also ruled in a 2024 advisory opinion that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is itself illegal and places obligations on countries to take measures to end the occupation. But LFI's report says: "While Israel asserts that settlements are legal under international law, much of the international community disputes this position. " It criticises settlement outposts not recognised by the Israeli government which are "established without legal authorisation", and advocates for adopting a different approach to major blocs from other settlements, tolerating the former but opposing the latter. The report calls on Britain to urge "the next Israeli government to remove illegal settlement outposts; halt settlement expansion outside the major blocs; issue more building permits for Palestinians in Area C; and expand Palestinian autonomous areas". This suggests the government should not object to the major settlement blocs. The report argues that "a boycott of all trade with settlements is practically and politically impossible". It says a full boycott would "impact all Israeli businesses operating in the settlement blocs, as well as East Jerusalem and the Old City". The report adds that a boycott could inadvertently affect "Israelis living within the state’s borders. A settlement boycott would thus become a de facto boycott of all of Israel. "This will rightly be perceived within the UK Jewish community as a further example of the government singling out and targeting Israel for punitive action and harsh rhetoric. " Burnham mulling ban on settlement goods Prime Minister Burnham recently said he is considering "further measures to deter unacceptable violence" in the occupied West Bank, and Whitehall sources have said that his government is considering announcing a ban on settlement goods after parliament returns from recess. Wes Streeting, now Burnham's defence secretary, last year said in leaked text messages to the now-disgraced former ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, that he had been a supporter of LFI for "over 20 years". But he endorsed sanctions on Israel and accused the country of "committing war crimes before our eyes". The same failed policies have broken six prime ministers. Can Burnham break the mould? Read More » Jonathan Reynolds, the business and trade secretary, was previously a vice-chair of LFI. In opposition, Labour called for a ban on the import of settlement goods, with the then shadow foreign secretary, Lisa Nandy, saying in June 2020 that the move would require "courage that so far ministers have not been willing to show". France and Sweden recently put forward a proposal calling on the European Union to enforce strict import controls on settlement goods. The Netherlands also banned trade in such goods last month. Polling of Labour members earlier this year showed that a staggering 87 percent support a ban on trade with Israeli settlements, with only 6 percent opposing it. The LFI report criticises the "current Netanyahu government, which took office in January 2023, [for having] accelerated expansion of settlements beyond the 'settlement blocs', while also failing to uphold the law and crack down on the noxious activities of extremist settlers". It adds that there "is a long-standing consensus - previously accepted by Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams alike, as well as influential segments of the international community - that the key settlement blocs will remain under Israeli control through land swaps". UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Economic · Economic

Treasuries rose on Tuesday as signs of progress toward a diplomatic resolution of the Iran war sent oil prices lower, curbing expectations for more than one Federal Reserve interest-rate hike in the coming year.

Economic · Economic

Grain trade. Russia reduced its wheat exports by 17.7 percent year over year in July to 1.8 million metric tons. In total, Russia exported 2.026 million metric tons of the main grain crops last month, down 37.6 percent compared to last year. Shipments to Egypt, Russia’s largest buyer, decreased 31.7 percent. A representative from Russia’s [… ] The post Daily Memo: Russian Exports, Black Sea Trade appeared first on Geopolitical Futures.

Economic · Economic

The AFRICOM commander described Somalia as strategically important for the US due to its proximity to key maritime trade routes

Economic · Economic

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. Chile’s Kast courts China day after US hits exports with forced labour tariff Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast received China’s ambassador to Santiago, Niu Qingbao, at the La Moneda Palace, in an encounter that lasted more than an hour and marked the first meeting between the two...

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We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. Nato launches defence projects to counter Russia and China Nato member states unveiled a series of defence initiatives in June aimed at strengthening weapons development, production and supply chains in response to security challenges posed by Russia and China. 2.... Read the full story here.

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Economic · Economic

The US trade deficit narrowed in June as imports fell for the first time since the start of the year. The gap in goods and services trade shrank 5.6% from the prior month to $73.3 billion, while the value of imports declined 1.8% while exports fell 0.9%. Michael McKee reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)

Economic · Economic

BP profits more than double amid high oil prices BP has reported record-high profits, as the US-Israeli war on Iran has led to rising oil and gas prices. The oil company's profits more than doubled to $5.73bn in the second quarter of 2026, as energy exports in the Gulf continue to be disrupted. US President Donald Trump criticised major oil companies yesterday for "making too much money" because of high prices. "I don't like it. They're making too much money, okay? Based on a shortage, they're making too much money," he said.

Economic · Economic

Stephen Schork, principal and editor at The Schork Group, says refiners have virtually no ability to increase capacity and deliver more gasoline and diesel products and lower costs for consumers. President Donald Trump scolded ExxonMobil Holdings Corp. and Chevron Corp. Monday for making too much money as oil prices surged amid the war in Iran. (Source: Bloomberg)

Economic · Economic

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Anna Paulson said she will keep an open mind about the path for interest rates, writing in an essay on Tuesday that she is focusing on the trends of underlying inflation. Michael McKee reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)

Economic · Economic

Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has exposed the vulnerability of global trade to a single maritime chokepoint, with early data showing sharp falls in exports of energy, fertilizers and industrial products.

Economic · Economic

The cost of hedging against rand declines over the next 12 months has fallen to the lowest level this year as investors bet gyrations spurred by the Middle East conflict and a surprise interest-rate hold by the central bank will soon blow over.

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Oracle Corp. and Stellantis NV are among a group of high-grade companies with debt that has recently traded close to junk levels, putting the bond market on watch for a new era of fallen angels.

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Copper advanced to the highest in two months, approaching $14,000 a ton in London as traders monitored ballooning volumes of the metal in the US ahead of a decision on import tariffs by President Donald Trump.

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Australia's housing downturn is accelerating, with higher interest rates and weaker investor demand driving the biggest home price declines since late 2022. REA Group Senior Economist Anne Flaherty says further falls are likely through year-end, especially in higher-priced suburbs. She discussed the outlook for Australia's housing market on "Bloomberg: The Asia Trade". (Source: Bloomberg)

Economic · Economic

Gold prices remained stable as investors watched for U. S. -Iran talks. S. Conflicting reports emerged regarding potential negotiations between the United States and Iran. Investors are anticipating U. jobs reports for Federal Reserve interest rate clues. Higher rates typically pressure gold prices, which offer no interest. South Korea's central bank plans to increase its gold holdings.

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The coalition argues the president exceeded his legal authority by imposing broad tariffs on dozens of trading partners under the guise of combating forced labour, asking a federal court to block the measures and order refunds for importers.

Economic · Economic

Foreign investors are reducing positions in Indian debt after a key index inclusion was delayed. Inflows into Indian debt have significantly slowed down over the past two weeks. US treasury yields have become more attractive, influencing investor decisions and market sentiment. Traders are awaiting the upcoming monetary policy announcement for further policy direction. Cooling oil prices and other inflows are helping to offset negative market sentiment.

Economic · Economic

The Indian market began the week with strong momentum and expects continued positive sentiment. Encouraging first-quarter earnings and easing crude oil prices are supporting this upward trend. Investors will closely watch the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy meeting for further market direction. Developments in the US-Iran conflict and ongoing earnings season also remain key focus areas. Foreign portfolio investors and domestic institutional investors showed net buying activity on Friday.

Economic · Economic

South Korea’s financial authorities are weighing tighter curbs on high-risk leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as part of broader efforts to stabilise the country’s notoriously volatile stock market, which has left many investors with heavy losses and mounting debt. The proposals could include giving regulators the power to reduce the leverage ratio of single-stock ETFs and raising the minimum investment requirement to discourage inexperienced retail investors from taking excessive risks,...

Economic · Economic

Gold moved in a narrow range as traders monitored talks in the Middle East for signs of progress that would ease pressure on the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.

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A group of 25 Democratic-led US states sued US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday, arguing that the president’s latest round of tariffs on goods from 60 trading partners, like most of his earlier sweeping tariffs, exceeds his legal authority to tax imports. The states’ lawsuit filed in the US ‌Court of International Trade in New York follows previous challenges by small US businesses, which sued to block the tariffs on the day they went into effect last month. States and small...

Economic · Economic

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh is creating fresh uncertainty for investors by pledging to rein in inflation without explaining how he intends to do so, according to Citadel Securities.

Economic · Economic

Copper is pouring into the US at the fastest rate in at least 12 years as traders position ahead of President Donald Trump’s decision on tariffs on refined imports.

Economic · Economic

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Liberation Day 2.0? US slaps fresh wave of tariffs on China, 50-plus economies On June 24, the United States imposed a fresh wave of tariffs against 60 economies, including China, Japan, South Korea, India and European Union member states, hours before a temporary 10 per cent blanket levy...

Economic · Economic

Weak demand domestically and the impact of the Iran war on oil prices overshadowed the country's strong exports.