A Fresh Upturn in Global Energy Prices as Trump is Said to Turn Down Iran’s Latest Deal Offer April 28, 2026 The price West Texas Intermediate oil, now at $100.17 per barrel, is almost 4% above Monday’s closing level. Iran’s proposal, which addressed reopening the Strait of Hormuz but defers discussion of its nuclear development,…
State Bank of Pakistan’s Interest Rate Hike Catches Pundits by Surprise April 27, 2026 There’s been an unexpected decision by officials at the State Bank of Pakistan to crank up their interest rate to 11.5% from 10.5%. Pakistan’s central bank rate crested at 22.0% for a whole year until June 2024 and as CPI inflation…
Fresh Peace Proposal From Iran as Traffic Through the Straight of Hormuz Remains Blocked April 27, 2026 (142) The attention of financial markets quickly moved past the the failed politically motivated assassination attempt at the U.S. press corps gala on Saturday night and is focused squarely back on the Middle East war, now in its…
Next Week’s Menu: April 25 – May 1, 2026 April 24, 2026 Central Banks: A busy week for central bank watchers lies ahead, with scheduled monetary policy reviews in the United States, Japan, Euroland, U.K., Canada, Hungary, Ukraine, Thailand, Brazil, Pakistan and Kyrgyztan. The British, Canadian and Japanese meetings coincide with updated in-depth quarterly reports….
Another Russian Central Bank Rate Cut April 24, 2026 As expected, the Central Bank of Russia cut its key rate by a further 50 basis points to 14.5%. This was the fifth such reduction since October and brings the cumulative drop to 650 basis points since this cycle began in June 2025. At the newly…
With No Fresh Shift in Middle East Crisis, Market Attention Shifts to Resilient Corporate Earnings Reports April 24, 2026 The dollar slid 0.1-0.2% overnight against major currencies but rose 0.5% against the beleaguered Indonesian rupiah. Major U.S. equity indices were lifted by better-than-presumed first-quarter corporate profits in firms such as Intel, HCA Healthcare and Procter…
Rate Hike at the Central Bank of the Philippines April 23, 2026 There’s been a 25-basis point central bank interest rate hike in the Philippines, its first increase since a similarly-sized move in October 2023 that lifted the rate then to cyclical high of 6.5% where it stayed until easing commenced in August 2024. Cuts…
Middle East Holding Spotlight: No Hopeful Signs & More Evidence of the War’s Economic Impact April 23, 2026 Nothing encouraging has surfaced regarding a resumption of peace talks between the United States and Iran. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains stalled, and there have been more ship seizure incidents by both sides. Preliminary…
Investors Decide that Breakdown in Talks and Indefinite Extension of Ceasefire and Strait’s Continuing Shutdown Are Not the Worst Outcome April 22, 2026 No progress has been made in breaking the U.S./Iranian impasse. Talks did not resume in Pakistan, and no timetable for when formal talks might be held has been disclosed. Each side is…
Equities and Dollar Unmoved by Fast-Approaching War Deadline April 21, 2026 The dollar rose 0.1-0.2% overnight. Equities in Asia closed up 2.7% in South Korea, 1.8% in Taiwan, 1.0% in India, and 0.9% in Japan and Singapore. In Indonesia where a 2-day monetary policy review began amid concerns about depleted international reserves, share prices bucked…