For China, this rhetoric isn’t just posturing. The country is at the heart of twenty-first-century trade networks, so Beijing’s strategists prioritize geopolitical calm and market predictability. The tumult of Trump’s tenure provides a foil for Xi’s greater ambitions. “For decades we thought of Chinese foreign policy as mainly seeking stability to facilitate economic development, but…
A Lufthansa passenger plane lands at Frankfurt Airport The plane flies over the Messeturm. The airline presents its quarterly figures on Wednesday. Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Germany’s largest airline, Lufthansa, expects to take on 1.7 billion euros (nearly $2 billion) in additional fuel costs this year, as the Middle East conflict…
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Beijing, China on May 6, 2026. Iranian Foreign Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images China pressed Iran on Wednesday to pursue a diplomatic resolution to the Middle East conflict and refrain from resuming hostilities, as Beijing seeks to cement its position as…
WASHINGTON — The United States has launched a new military operation to ensure commercial shipping vessels can safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, deploying scores of warships, fighter jets and drones to counter Iranian efforts that have threatened the narrow waterway that carries a fifth of the world’s oil. At a news conference Tuesday at the…
The container ship Gunde Maersk sits docked at the Port of Oakland on June 24, 2024 in Oakland, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Danish shipping giant Maersk said one of its commercial vessels successfully transited through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz under U.S. military protection. The Alliance Fairfax, a U.S.-flagged ship operated by…
Central banks risk a global recession by raising interest rates in a bid to contain soaring energy costs, an analyst has said. Julian Howard, chief multi-asset investment strategist at GAM Investments, warned that rate-setters are now “on the verge of policy mistake territory” as expectations of rate rises grow. Howard said that the traditional response…
Conflict in is disrupting fertiliser supplies, and Africa’s food systems stand to lose. (the activities that connect the people, investments and decisions involved in producing and delivering food and agricultural goods) rely on a steady flow of inputs like fertiliser, along with markets, infrastructure and policy and trade decisions. These food systems can absorb shocks and…
BEIRUT — Confusion reigned on Monday over the fate of a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran after a wave of fresh strikes on the United Arab Emirates and Oman, along with reports of attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, undermined confidence in the truce. The drone and missile strikes, the first since…
A top oil and gas producer in West Texas’ booming Permian Basin declared a “green” light for the reluctant U.S. energy sector to start churning out more volumes amid the ongoing Iran war and sky-high crude prices. Midland, Texas-based Diamondback Energy—the third-largest Permian player after Exxon Mobil and Chevron—said it is adding both fracking (hydraulic…
Financial markets were muted on Sunday as investors were reluctant to bite on the latest well-timed social media post from President Donald Trump about Iran. Futures tied to the Dow Jones industrial average fell 53 points, or 0.11%. S&P 500 futures were up 0.08%, and Nasdaq futures added 0.25%. U.S. oil futures dipped 0.16% to $101.78 a barrel, while…