Finance news

As short-sellers circle the yen, a repeat of 1997 Asian crisis looms

Japan is falling into a trap in defending its currency against the US dollar, like Thailand in 1996. Japan’s large forex reserves make the yen a juicy target, rather than deterring currency predators. Its fundamentals are weak and deteriorating, making the yen’s further decline inevitable. Japan can’t raise interest rates aggressively to defend its currency due to its high national debt. It could fall into an inflation-devaluation spiral, greatly profiting yen short-sellers. The yen is trading..

Mirror dancer left with ‘catastrophic disabilities’ awarded HK$6.29m in damages

A Hong Kong court has awarded HK$6.29 million (US$802,698) in damages to a dancer left paralysed after being struck by a falling giant screen during a concert by Cantopop boy band Mirror four years ago. In a written judgment on Monday, the District Court ruled that Mo Li Kai-yin was entitled to substantial damages from his employer, Studiodanz, under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance after suffering from “catastrophic” injuries in the accident at Hong Kong Coliseum on July 28, 2022. Judge...

USA: Fox buys Roku for $22 billion

The television company buys the platform and thus drives consolidation in the US media industry. The Murdoch Group is fully committed to sports and streaming.

China’s military mouthpiece PLA Daily cites SpaceX role in warning of satellite arms race

China’s official military newspaper has warned of an arms race over low-Earth satellites, citing developments such as SpaceX’s latest contract with the US Space Force. Low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations typically operate at 300km to 1,500km (185-930 miles) above the Earth and are becoming increasingly important in areas such as communications and satellite navigation. But in a series of articles covering a full page on Monday, PLA Daily warned: “The era of the militarised application of...

Trump threatens 100% tariff on French wines over digital tax on tech firms

US President Donald Trump threatened to slap a 100 per cent tariff on French wine and champagne unless Paris removes a digital services tax on tech firms, the New York Post reported on Monday. France imposed in 2019 a three per cent levy on the revenues earned by technology firms – including American giants such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google parent Alphabet – within the country’s borders. French President Emmanuel Macron is due to host Trump on Monday before the G7 summit gets underway..

US-Iran deal: When will oil prices fall?

A potential US-Iran deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz could ease the global energy crunch, but oil prices and supplies may take months to stabilize as shipping restarts and infrastructure recovers.

Iran war: Will the global energy crisis end soon?

A US-Iran deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz could ease the global energy crunch, but oil prices and supplies may take months to stabilize as shipping restarts and infrastructure recovers.

Public finances: Rating agency Scope warns of a debt spiral in the USA

The risks to US finances are rising faster than feared: In an as yet unpublished report, Scope indicates a possible downgrade. The timing is explosive.

China ‘Wheel Queen’: from tractor driver to owner of US$1.6 billion manufacturing empire

Chen Ailian, who has been dubbed as China’s Wheel Queen with a net worth of 11 billion yuan (US$1.6 billion), has trended on mainland social media as an encouraging role model. Four decades ago, she defied gender stereotypes by driving a tractor. As her enterprise in the east of the country grew into a success, Chen rewarded her key employees with 100 BMW cars, the news portal Sina.com reported. The Zhejiang-based Wanfeng Auto Holding Group, founded by Chen, is the global No 1 manufacturer of...

Middle East: USA and Iran agree on peace deal

On Monday night, US President Trump, the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the mediating state Pakistan announced an agreement in the conflict that has been ongoing since February. The official signing is scheduled for Friday in Switzerland.

US-Iran peace deal gets cautious welcome amid unresolved tensions

The United States and Iran are set to sign an interim peace deal on Friday that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and potentially end a nearly four-month-long conflict that has killed thousands and upended the global economy. “The deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” US President Donald Trump said on social media on Sunday, which was also his 80th birthday. “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz” along with the “immediate removal” of the US...

Artificial intelligence: Bitkom warns of the consequences of US restrictions on Anthropic AI

The US government restricts access to Anthropic's AI models. This could have consequences for industry, administration and science.

Antropic Fable 5: US ban on AI software worries German digital industry

The industry association Bitkom warns about the blocking of Anthropic's AI. The process shows how dependent Germany and Europe are on the USA for access to powerful AI models.

Hormuz to Reopen as Iran, US Agree to Pause War

The U.S. and Iran said they reached an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, halting a war that killed thousands of people and setting the stage for 60 days of negotiations on the fate of Tehran's nuclear program.

Artificial intelligence: US ban on AI software triggers concerns in the digital industry

Bitkom warns: The blocking of US AI software shows how dependent Germany and Europe are on the USA for access to powerful AI models.

Before the G7 summit: Trump threatens France with a 100 percent tariff on wine

The US President is calling on France to abolish a tax on US tech companies. Otherwise, he would introduce new punitive tariffs that would hit Paris hard.

Memorandum of misunderstanding: Why Trump's Iran deal might not last

The text of the memorandum is not public. The “negotiations” between the US and Iran have occurred largely via intermediaries – Pakistan and Qatar. So far as we can glean from public statements, Iran has agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz from Friday, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil supplies flow, and the US has agreed to end its naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait. All the tricky issues – the fate of Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for c

Hong Kong developer Lai Sun seeks note swap in bid to ease liquidity pressure

Hong Kong developer Lai Sun Development, chaired by businessman Peter Lam Kin-ngok, who also chairs the city’s Tourism Board, has launched an exchange offer for its outstanding US$493 million worth of 5 per cent guaranteed notes due July 2026, in an effort to relieve short-term liquidity pressures, the company said Monday in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. Eligible noteholders can swap their existing holdings for new, US dollar-denominated senior guaranteed notes carrying an 8 per cent

The US-Iran deal has bought time, but what remains to be achieved?

The United States, Iran and their mediator Pakistan each announced on Sunday that Washington and Tehran had reached an agreement intended to end the conflict between them that has lasted more than 100 days. Writing on social media on Sunday, US President Donald Trump stated: “This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region.” Representatives for the warring countries said they would formally sign a document in Switzerland on Friday that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council..

Few months, even a year: Energy prices to remain elevated on US-Iran deal

Iran War: Framework agreement in the Iran War is in place – what happens now

On Trump's 80th birthday, the US President and Iran announced the agreement on a framework agreement to end the war. What happens next – and why peace could fail.

Strait of Hormuz still eerily quiet as doubts remain over ‘fragile’ peace deal

The Strait of Hormuz was still largely devoid of shipping traffic in the hours following the announcement of a US-Iran peace deal, as analysts warned it remained uncertain how and when normal operations along the waterway would be restored. The only vessel moving in the strait on Monday morning was broadcasting its status as a patrol ship, according to data from vessel tracking platform MarineTraffic, as hundreds of commercial ships remained stranded in the region. The United States and Iran...

On Trump's birthday: Framework agreement in the Iran war is in place - what happens next

On Donald Trump's 80th birthday, the US President and Iran announced the agreement on a framework agreement to end the war. What happens next - and how peace could still fail.

Japan and South Korea stocks leap on latest US-Iran deal

US attack drone maker taps into Taiwan controller demand

Bid-ask spreads for UCITS ETFs holding US equities

Conventional wisdom dictates that the bid-ask spread for a UCITS ETF traded on the LSE, that holds primarily US equities, should be lower when both the LSE and NYSE are open, and higher when only the LSE is open. I, however, found this was not the case for the AVGS UCITS ETF, around 70% of whose holdings are US equities. I recently switched from holding AVUV and AVDV in the NYSE, to AVGS in the LSE, to avoid estate tax implications in the US, and to take advantage of the accumulating nature of A

Baby bonus to continue? We’ll consult widely, John Lee says

The Hong Kong government will conduct a consultation on its slew of pro-baby incentives amid persistently low birth rates, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has said, noting that delayed marriage and cultural shifts are limiting the effectiveness of such policies. The number of registered births in Hong Kong hit a historic low of 31,100 in 2025, despite a range of government initiatives aimed at boosting the city’s fertility rate. The HK$20,000 (US$2,552) newborn baby bonus, introduced in 2023,..

US and Iran reach peace deal with signing set for Friday, Pakistan says

The United States and Iran have reached a deal to end their war and will hold an official signing ceremony on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on social media early on Monday. “The Deal with ‌the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly after Sharif made his announcement. The agreement was struck despite an Israeli strike on Lebanon on Sunday that drew criticism from both Iran and...

US, Pakistan announce peace deal with Iran is ‘complete’

US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Sunday that a landmark agreement has been reached with Iran to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz and end the US naval blockade. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” Trump posted on social media without providing any details of the agreement. “I hereby fully authorise the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorise the...

Deal is reached to end Iran war and Trump orders stop to US naval blockade

SS: U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed a deal had been reached with Iran and said he had authorized an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. “Congratulations to all!” he wrote on social media, without providing details. He added, “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” submitted by /u/JKKIDD231 [link] [comments]