Asian LNG prices are set to fall after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that could temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz, bringing respite to global energy markets. US President Donald Trump agreed to suspend bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to a complete and immediate opening to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said that safe passage through the strait will be possible via coordinat...
Asian LNG prices are set to fall after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that could temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz, bringing respite to global energy markets. US President Donald Trump agreed to suspend bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to a complete and immediate opening to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said that safe passage through the strait will be possible via coordination with the nation’s armed forces during this period, though details of the agreement have not been specified. A reopening of the key waterway — through which around one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG transits — would help ease global LNG supply concerns. The strait has been mostly shut since the war broke out, sending multiple nations scrambling for alternatives as prices surge. Read More: US and Iran Agree to Ceasefire Hours Before Trump Deadline (1) No ship loaded with LNG has been recorded passing through the strait since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran at the end of last February. Attempts by loaded LNG carriers to exit the Persian Gulf via the waterway have been aborted, while one reportedly empty LNG carrier passed through the chokepoint over the weekend . Asian LNG prices more than doubled to $25/mmbtu in the week following Feb. 28. Prices have since pulled back slightly.
Market Snapshot USD/INR ₹92.99 -0.1% Nifty 50 Index 23,123.65 +0.7% India 10-Year Bond Yield 7.04% +0.00 Spot Gold ($/oz) $4,809.64 +2.2% S&P 500 Futures 6,814.00 +2.4% Market data as of 08:13 AM IST, Apr. 8, 2026, or the previous close for Indian markets. Data is subject to provider delays. Good morning... I’m Alex Gabriel Simon in Mumbai with the pre-open take on markets, which are showing signs...
Market Snapshot USD/INR ₹92.99 -0.1% Nifty 50 Index 23,123.65 +0.7% India 10-Year Bond Yield 7.04% +0.00 Spot Gold ($/oz) $4,809.64 +2.2% S&P 500 Futures 6,814.00 +2.4% Market data as of 08:13 AM IST, Apr. 8, 2026, or the previous close for Indian markets. Data is subject to provider delays. Good morning... I’m Alex Gabriel Simon in Mumbai with the pre-open take on markets, which are showing signs of relief after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Asia’s stock benchmark jumped in early trading, oil plunged and the dollar weakened after the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. That suggests Indian equities are likely to extend their four-day winning streak and the rupee is in for some respite, and, hopefully, cooking gas supplies will ease as well. The currency has emerged as a key pressure point for India’s import-heavy economy since the Middle East war began and sent oil prices surging. Traders in Mumbai will be keenly watching how this easing of geopolitical tensions features in the central bank’s policy dynamics. With the Reserve Bank of India likely to hold interest rates today, the bigger focus is on what Governor Sanjay Malhotra says about the rupee as well as the inflation outlook. In today’s newsletter, we also look at: The renewed interest in tech stocks Foreigners’ pessimism over banking shares A likely sales bump up for cooling product makers But first, let’s get you up to speed on the ceasefire plan. Markets Buzz: Three Questions on the Ceasefire What has happened? The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that’s expected to halt the American-Israeli military campaign in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The deal buys time for the two sides to reach a longer agreement to end the war, which has killed thousands of people and sparked a global energy crisis. How have global markets reacted? MSCI’s Asia Pacific Index jumped 4.1% to a three-week high as traders bet lower oil prices will help contain inflation and rev...
AlexSecret/iStock via Getty Images As I write this, we are only 3 hours away from Trump's ultimatum to Iran: open the strait or face annihilation. Personally, I can't see the current Iranian government being willing to capitulate. By the same token, I can't see Trump carrying out such a threat. Perhaps that is what the market is thinking as well, because there is little in the way of market pricin...
AlexSecret/iStock via Getty Images As I write this, we are only 3 hours away from Trump's ultimatum to Iran: open the strait or face annihilation. Personally, I can't see the current Iranian government being willing to capitulate. By the same token, I can't see Trump carrying out such a threat. Perhaps that is what the market is thinking as well, because there is little in the way of market pricing that suggests investors are very concerned about the consequences of today's upcoming events. Chart #1 Chart #1 shows the 10-year history of the VIX index, commonly known as the "fear" index. Technically, it's the implied volatility of equity options. A higher value corresponds to greater fear and also to more expensive option prices. When you're nervous, it's sometimes smart to buy options since they can minimize your risk. The more nervous you are, the more you're willing to pay. Today's VIX index is elevated, but hardly to an extreme level such as we have seen in prior episodes of fear. Chart #2 Chart #2 shows the level of corporate credit spreads. The higher the spread, the more the market is concerned about the outlook for corporate profits. Spreads have ticked higher in recent weeks, but not by very much. If all you knew was the level of credit spreads, you would see this chart and conclude that the market is not concerned at all about the economic outlook. Chart #3 Chart #3 is another way of looking at corporate credit spreads: it's the difference between investment grade and high-yield spreads. This too shows very little concern. Chart #4 Chart #4 shows the yields on 5-year Treasury bonds (i.e., nominal yields) and 5-year TIPS (i.e., real yields), plus (in green) the difference between the two, which is effectively the market's expectation for what the CPI will average over the next 5 years. It's tough to see anything here that is out of the ordinary. I hope the market is right, and I hope the problems in the Gulf are nearing a peaceful resolution. Original Post E...
(RTTNews) - Indian shares are likely to open on an upbeat note on Wednesday after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, contingent on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices crashing.
(RTTNews) - Indian shares are likely to open on an upbeat note on Wednesday after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, contingent on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices crashing.
EyeEm Mobile GmbH/iStock via Getty Images Investment action I had a buy rating for StubHub Holdings ( STUB ) previously, as I saw improving business fundamentals, which the market was not appreciating (share price fell after the previous earnings). STUB is still taking share, and its scale advantage is now starting to show up in seller workflow through ReachPro. There is also a more credible path ...
EyeEm Mobile GmbH/iStock via Getty Images Investment action I had a buy rating for StubHub Holdings ( STUB ) previously, as I saw improving business fundamentals, which the market was not appreciating (share price fell after the previous earnings). STUB is still taking share, and its scale advantage is now starting to show up in seller workflow through ReachPro. There is also a more credible path to future monetization through direct issuance. With the moat looking stronger than before, I continue to think the market is not fully appreciating how much better this business is positioning itself. STUB is scaling up In my December write-up, my viewpoint was that STUB was gaining share, the flywheel was improving, and the market was getting distracted by short-term noise. I still think that was right, as there are tangible numbers to back this up. For one, STUB ended FY2025 with $9.2 billion of GMS , up 6% y/y, or 18% after adjusting for the prior-year Eras Tour impact. More importantly, STUB has reached ~50% share of the North American secondary ticketing market (it was approaching ~50% previously). But I think the more important update is not just the share number itself. It is that this scale is now starting to show up in the seller workflow too. Specifically, ReachPro's share of POS-driven dollar volume reached ~30% by the end of FY2025. For those that don't know, ReachPro is essentially the software layer professional sellers use to manage inventory (for things like pricing, distribution, and fulfillment). So, this is no longer just about STUB handling more ticket transactions. It is also embedding itself deeper in sellers' workflows. That matters more than you think because this is how STUB's moat becomes harder to break. A normal marketplace platform can win traffic and still come under heavy competitive pressure if another player enters and starts a price war. But once sellers start using STUB's tools inside their day-to-day workflow, the relationship gets stick...
A nurse and a surgical robot inside an operating room at Peking University Third Hospital on Jan. 21, 2026. Photo: VCG Beijing authorities released a sweeping set of policies on April 7 aimed at transforming the city into a global powerhouse for biomedical innovation, specifically targeting advancements in artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery, high-tech surgical robots, and global clinica...
A nurse and a surgical robot inside an operating room at Peking University Third Hospital on Jan. 21, 2026. Photo: VCG Beijing authorities released a sweeping set of policies on April 7 aimed at transforming the city into a global powerhouse for biomedical innovation, specifically targeting advancements in artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery, high-tech surgical robots, and global clinical trials. Spearheaded by the municipal medical security bureau and eight other government departments, the Several Measures to Support the High-Quality Development of Innovative Medicine (2026 Edition) introduces 32 specific tasks spanning the entire pharmaceutical chain — from initial research and clinical trials to regulatory approval, commercial distribution, and frontline hospital application.
The outlook on the flagship fund of private credit giant Blue Owl Capital Inc. was cut to negative by Moody’s Ratings , the latest sign of mounting strains in an industry stung by investors rushing to pull their money from funds aimed at retail buyers. The rating firm moved the outlook on Blue Owl Credit Income Corp., a non-traded business development company, from stable after “significantly high...
The outlook on the flagship fund of private credit giant Blue Owl Capital Inc. was cut to negative by Moody’s Ratings , the latest sign of mounting strains in an industry stung by investors rushing to pull their money from funds aimed at retail buyers. The rating firm moved the outlook on Blue Owl Credit Income Corp., a non-traded business development company, from stable after “significantly higher-than-peer redemption requests in the first quarter,” it said in a statement Tuesday. The move is part of Moody’s broader revision of its outlook for private credit investment vehicles to negative. Blue Owl’s $36 billion private credit fund received requests from investors to cash in on 21.9% of outstanding shares but capped redemptions to 5% in the first three months of the year. Shares of the firm, which have become one of the favored ways to bet on a sustained fallout in private credit due to the company’s elevated exposure to software businesses that could be laid low by AI, closed at a record low earlier this week. The firm, like others across the $1.8 trillion private credit market, is facing a wave of redemptions from investors seeking to bail out over such concerns. While the redemption limits kept net outflows contained, “we now expect elevated redemptions to persist in coming quarters and inflows could slow further from already reduced levels,” Moody’s added. As a result the fund’s “currently strong capital and liquidity positions, which are relative credit strengths, could begin to dissipate as the company contends with net outflows over the outlook period,” it said. Private Credit Exodus Turns Moody’s BDC Outlook to Negative Private Credit’s Blue Owl at New Low: Evening Briefing Americas Blue Owl Reels as Investors Who Fueled Its Growth Now Want Out “We remain confident that as one of only three non-traded BDCs with a Baa2 rating from Moody’s, Blue Owl Credit Income Corp. remains well positioned to capitalize in the current market environment,” Blue Owl said i...