Trade Secrets

Trump said Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” soon after Iran launched limited missile attacks Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites over the weekend.

The world is bracing for Iran's response after the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

The global economy is heading for its slowest non-recessionary performance since 2008, with growth expected to reach just 2.3% in 2025, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report.

Stock markets in Asia edged lower on Thursday while safe havens such as gold and the Japanese yen gained as investors remained on edge over the possible entry of the United States into the week-old Israel-Iran air war.

Concerns over escalating hostilities in the Middle East stayed front and centre in markets on Wednesday, sending oil prices higher and leaving investors hesitant to scoop up risk assets.

Oil prices resumed their upward climb and U.S. futures were lower early Tuesday after Israel’s military issued an evacuation warning to 330,000 people in Iran’s capital Tehran.

Israel and Iran have been engaged in a fierce exchange of fire for three consecutive days. According to Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom, Iranian strikes have killed at least ten people, bringing the total death toll to 13. In Iran, Israeli strikes have caused 406 deaths and 654 injuries

U.S. stock futures dropped sharply early Friday following a series of Israeli airstrikes on Iran, which sent energy prices surging and injected fresh uncertainty into an already tense geopolitical backdrop.

Japan’s government bond (JGB) market—once the epitome of stability—is now flashing warning signs. Yields on long-term bonds are rising, demand from institutional buyers is waning, and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) is quietly wrestling with the limits of its monetary strategy.

Credit rating agencies play a crucial role in global finance by assessing the creditworthiness of issuers of debt, including governments, corporations, and financial institutions. The three dominant players in this space are Moody's Investors Service, Standard & Poor's (S&P), and Fitch Ratings