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Sat, Apr 18, 2026 06:58 AM All times are UTC

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ECB Holds Rates at 2.00% as Middle East Energy Shocks Cloud Inflation Outlook

Mar 19, 2026 16:03 pm UTC| Central Banks Insights & Views

At its March 19, 2026 meeting, the European Central Bank chose to hold all key interest rates steady, maintaining the deposit facility at 2.00%, the main refinancing rate at 2.15%, and the marginal lending facility at...

BoE Holds Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Shocks Stall Disinflation

Mar 19, 2026 15:14 pm UTC| Central Banks Insights & Views

At its March 19, 2026, policy meeting, the Bank of England (BoE) maintained its restrictive monetary attitude, choosing to keep the Bank Rate at 3.75% in a move consistent with overwhelming market expectations. The...

ECB Holds Rates Steady at 2.00% as Middle East Energy Shocks Cloud Inflation Outlook

Mar 19, 2026 11:56 am UTC| Central Banks Insights & Views

At its March 19, 2026, policy meeting, the European Central Bank (ECB) kept its wait-and-see attitude by opting not to change any of the main interest rates. In a move reflecting a neutral attitude against a complicated...

SNB Holds at 0% and Flags FX Intervention to Curb Franc Strength

Mar 19, 2026 11:04 am UTC| Central Banks Insights & Views

At its March 19, 2026, policy meeting, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) stayed course and maintained the headline policy rate at 0.00%. Consistent with market expectations, the central bank maintained its sight deposit...

Fed Holds Steady at 3.75% as Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Caution

Mar 19, 2026 04:44 am UTC| Central Banks Insights & Views

Maintaining the federal funds target range at 3.50% to 3.75%, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) finished its March 2026 meeting a decision motivated by ongoing inflation and increased worldwide instability. The...

BOJ Holds Interest Rates Steady Amid Middle East Uncertainty

Mar 19, 2026 03:01 am UTC| Economy Central Banks

Japans central bank maintained its benchmark interest rate at 0.75% following a two-day policy meeting that concluded on Thursday, a decision that aligned with broad market expectations. The Bank of Japans move comes at a...

Global Central Banks Hold Rates Amid Iran War-Driven Energy Price Surge

Mar 19, 2026 02:53 am UTC| Economy Central Banks

The United States Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada both held interest rates steady on Wednesday while signaling heightened vigilance as the ongoing Iran conflict continues to drive energy prices to alarming levels. The...

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Economy

Australia Extends Fuel Sulphur Relaxation Amid Iran War Supply Disruptions

Australia has extended its temporary easing of fuel-quality standards through September, as ongoing disruptions from the Iran war continue to strain the countrys fuel supply chains. Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed...

Stocks Surge as Strait of Hormuz Reopens, Oil Prices Plunge

U.S. stock markets closed sharply higher on Friday as easing Middle East tensions and the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz sent investor confidence soaring. The SP 500 gained 1.2% to finish at 7,125.36, the...

Oil Prices Plunge as Strait of Hormuz Reopens Amid U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Talks

Global oil prices fell sharply on Friday after Iran and the United States jointly announced the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, easing fears over a major disruption to the worlds oil supply. Brent crude...

Dollar Retreats as Strait of Hormuz Reopens, Easing Safe-Haven Demand

The U.S. dollar surrendered most of its war-driven gains on Friday after Iran announced the Strait of Hormuz was completely open, reducing the safe-haven appeal that had propped up the currency since the U.S.-Iran conflict...

IMF Warns Middle East War to Deepen Economic Divide Across Latin America and Caribbean

The ongoing Middle East conflict is expected to widen economic inequality across Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the International Monetary Fund. While oil-exporting nations stand to gain short-term...

Politics

Trump's Iran Claims Spark Market Confusion Over Strait of Hormuz

Global financial markets and world leaders are navigating a wave of cautious optimism mixed with uncertainty after President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough in U.S.-Iran negotiations, including what he described as...

Anthropic CEO Meets Trump Officials to Discuss Powerful New AI Model Mythos

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei sat down with senior Trump administration officials last Friday in what analysts are calling a pivotal move to repair a strained relationship between the AI company and the federal government....

Trump and IRS in Settlement Talks Over $10 Billion Tax Return Leak Lawsuit

Donald Trumps legal team and the Internal Revenue Service are reportedly engaged in settlement negotiations over a $10 billion federal lawsuit stemming from the unauthorized disclosure of the presidents private tax...

UNICEF Condemns Killing of Aid Workers Delivering Water in Gaza

The United Nations childrens agency UNICEF has expressed outrage following the fatal shooting of two contracted truck drivers who were delivering clean water to families in the Gaza Strip. The deadly incident occurred on...

Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz Amid Fragile Ceasefire and Ongoing Nuclear Tensions

Iran has temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, sparking cautious optimism in global markets. However, Tehran issued a stark warning...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

Apple Wins ITC Ruling, Keeping Blood-Oxygen Feature on Apple Watch

A U.S. trade tribunal sided with Apple on Friday, rejecting Masimo Corporations push to reinstate an import ban on Apple Watch. The U.S. International Trade Commission chose not to review an earlier judges ruling that...

OpenAI's $20 Billion Cerebras Deal Signals Massive AI Infrastructure Push

OpenAI is reportedly set to spend over $20 billion with AI chip startup Cerebras over the next three years, marking a significant expansion of an already substantial computing partnership. According to The Information, the...

Tesla's Terafab: AI Chip Factory Eyes Taiwan's Semiconductor Talent

Tesla is actively recruiting semiconductor engineers in Taiwan for its ambitious Terafab project a fully vertically integrated AI chip manufacturing facility that aims to consolidate logic, memory, packaging, testing, and...

Japan to Subsidize Sony's Image Sensor Plant in Kumamoto with $380 Million

The Japanese government has announced plans to provide Sony with subsidies of up to 60 billion yen, equivalent to approximately $380 million, to support the construction of an image sensor manufacturing facility in...

NiSource Signs Long-Term Energy Deals with Alphabet and Amazon to Power Indiana Data Centers

NiSource, a U.S. utility company, has secured a long-term energy supply agreement with an Alphabet subsidiary to power a major data center in northern Indiana. The announcement also included an expanded partnership with...