Emerging-market stocks are on track for their biggest weekly gain in close to six years ahead of US-Iran talks this weekend, with investors hopeful of further easing in Middle East tensions amid a shaky ceasefire. MSCI’s emerging markets index was trading 0.9% higher on Friday, and set for the largest weekly gain since June 2020. A similar gauge for developing world currencies was 0.1% higher, on ...
Emerging-market stocks are on track for their biggest weekly gain in close to six years ahead of US-Iran talks this weekend, with investors hopeful of further easing in Middle East tensions amid a shaky ceasefire. MSCI’s emerging markets index was trading 0.9% higher on Friday, and set for the largest weekly gain since June 2020. A similar gauge for developing world currencies was 0.1% higher, on track for its biggest weekly gain since last May. Oil prices pared gains ahead of the US-Iran ceasefire talks scheduled in Pakistan. “The decline in tensions in the Middle East has prompted investors to increase their investments in emerging markets,” said Rajeev De Mello , global macro portfolio manager at Gama Asset Management SA. “Ahead of Tuesday’s news, investors had significantly reduced or even gone short EM equities,” he said, referring to US President Donald Trump ’s earlier deadline for Iran to strike a ceasefire deal. Trump said on Thursday he was “optimistic” about a deal with Iran but later threatened Tehran over charging fees in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to hold talks with Lebanon, signaling hope for de-escalation after aggressive Israeli strikes on the country. South Korea’s Kospi outperformed, with chipmakers among the biggest contributors to the rise in the index. Asian software stocks, however, fell as jitters around AI-led disruptions intensified after the release of new models. While emerging-market assets strengthened, analysts were skeptical of how much the gains could extend, given uncertainties over the Middle East ceasefire and a sustained resumption in energy flows through the region. “The recent bounce in Asia FX appears largely sentiment-driven and vulnerable to reversal should geopolitical tensions re-escalate or if oil prices stay high for longer,” wrote Lloyd Chan , a currency strategist at MUFG Bank Ltd. A sustained recovery would require a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a persis...
The average one-year price target for Vale S.A. - Depositary Receipt (NYSE:VALE) has been revised to $17.57 / share. This is an increase of 15.89% from the prior estimate of $15.16 dated February 3, 2026. The price target is an average of many targets provided
The average one-year price target for Vale S.A. - Depositary Receipt (NYSE:VALE) has been revised to $17.57 / share. This is an increase of 15.89% from the prior estimate of $15.16 dated February 3, 2026. The price target is an average of many targets provided
Russia’s protest over a proposed investment by a Japanese company in a Ukrainian drone maker signals its concern that Tokyo may be supporting closer cooperation with Kyiv’s defence sector and planning to lift a long-standing ban on weapon exports, according to an international relations expert. On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko registered Moscow’s protest in a meeting wi...
Russia’s protest over a proposed investment by a Japanese company in a Ukrainian drone maker signals its concern that Tokyo may be supporting closer cooperation with Kyiv’s defence sector and planning to lift a long-standing ban on weapon exports, according to an international relations expert. On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko registered Moscow’s protest in a meeting with Akira Muto, the Japanese ambassador to Russia. Muto “rebutted” the protest, according to a Jiji...
In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily empty Middle East crisis – live updates The streets of Islamabad were on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepared to play host to historic negotiations between Iran and the US that have dangled the promise of an end to war that has devastated the Middle East. Even as the US-Iran c...
In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily empty Middle East crisis – live updates The streets of Islamabad were on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepared to play host to historic negotiations between Iran and the US that have dangled the promise of an end to war that has devastated the Middle East. Even as the US-Iran ceasefire looked increasingly precarious , amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon and disputes over the terms of the talks, Pakistani officials insisted that the make-or-break peace negotiations would be going ahead over the weekend as planned. Continue reading...
Journalist, author and farmer Gabrielle Chan speaks to Guardian Australia political editor Tom McIlroy about the experiences of rural and regional Australians whose work and everyday life have been upended by supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran. The former political reporter also talks about the rise in Pauline Hanson’s popularity ahead of the Farrer byelection, which is expected to...
Journalist, author and farmer Gabrielle Chan speaks to Guardian Australia political editor Tom McIlroy about the experiences of rural and regional Australians whose work and everyday life have been upended by supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran. The former political reporter also talks about the rise in Pauline Hanson’s popularity ahead of the Farrer byelection, which is expected to be a strong contest between a One Nation and independent candidate Continue reading...
HUNG CHIN LIU/iStock via Getty Images By Padhraic Garvey, CFA , Regional Head of Research, Americas; Benjamin Schroeder , Senior Rates Strategist; and Michiel Tukker , Senior UK & Eurozone Rates Strategist Base case, we expect to see a way through this whole mess It's painfully slow, but we see enough out of the Iran ceasefire narrative to extrapolate an outcome that culminates in an end to these ...
HUNG CHIN LIU/iStock via Getty Images By Padhraic Garvey, CFA , Regional Head of Research, Americas; Benjamin Schroeder , Senior Rates Strategist; and Michiel Tukker , Senior UK & Eurozone Rates Strategist Base case, we expect to see a way through this whole mess It's painfully slow, but we see enough out of the Iran ceasefire narrative to extrapolate an outcome that culminates in an end to these particular hostilities. As noted, this likely involves the US taking control of Iranian uranium enrichment while Iran retains some semblance of control over the Strait (even if in an acknowledged 'monitoring' role). As it is, we're in something of a vacuum, as the official negotiations don't start until Saturday. But with Israel now reaching out to Lebanon, it's clear that the US is paving the way for a final outcome. The fact that the strait remains broadly closed misses the bigger point. As a stand-alone issue, this is, of course, not good. But this is not the end game. It's Iran pre-positioning ahead of talks. Base case: we expect to see a way through this whole mess. The market reaction maintains a positive gloss overall. For US Treasuries, the curve is beginning to show a tendency to re-steepen. The path for the front end is lower yields, as there is a price to be paid for the inflation angst now and ahead, which is ultimately negative for the economy. Meanwhile, longer-dated yields should be curbed from moving too much lower on account of the inflation risks ahead. The 5yr area of the curve continues to re-richen, which makes sense as the market nods towards Fed rate cuts to come later in the year. All the while, there is room for the curve to steepen from both ends. Thursday's 30yr auction struggled, while Tuesday's 3yr auction did better, fitting with the aforementioned steeper curve bias. Friday sees the March CPI reading, and we are set to see a comfortable 3% handle on headline inflation. This is a clear repercussion of the higher oil and energy prices and will r...
In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours. Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later s...
In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours. Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceasefire between them. In a video statement, he said Israel will keep...