wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Gold pulled back amid rising rates and a stronger dollar, but history shows volatility is typical in crises. Strong margins leave miners well positioned if gold stabilizes or moves higher. Volatility in a Crisis Is Not Unusual Gold's March performance surprised many investors. Despite a sharp escalation in geopolitical tensions, gold prices pulled back after brief...
wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Gold pulled back amid rising rates and a stronger dollar, but history shows volatility is typical in crises. Strong margins leave miners well positioned if gold stabilizes or moves higher. Volatility in a Crisis Is Not Unusual Gold's March performance surprised many investors. Despite a sharp escalation in geopolitical tensions, gold prices pulled back after briefly retesting record highs. That kind of price action may seem counterintuitive, but it is not unusual in periods of crisis. Gold reached an all-time high of $5,595 per ounce on January 29. Prices pulled back below $5,000 in February but were poised to retest those highs in March as the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. The attack came on a Saturday, and early the following Monday, gold moved above $5,400. At that point, it looked like gold was on track to fulfill its role as a safe-haven asset. However, $5,418 marked the monthly high on March 2. What followed was a sharp selloff; gold plummeted $1,319 to a monthly low of $4,099 on March 23 before finishing March at $4,668.06, down $611, or 11.6%, for the month. It appears the bottom may be forming, though volatility remains elevated. Why Does Gold Fall During Global Uncertainty? We understand why investors would be disappointed with gold’s performance during a month of global turmoil. Selling pressure overwhelmed safe-haven demand and central bank buying. That said, this type of price action is not unusual when viewed in a historical context. Gold fell sharply at the onset of the financial crisis in 2008 and again during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. In both cases, the initial reaction was driven by liquidity needs, rising rates and a stronger U.S. dollar. A similar dynamic was observed after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Crude oil rose above $100 per barrel, contributing to higher interest rates and a stronger dollar, and after a short rally, gold declined by roughly 18%. While each of these periods was shaped b...
Europe is still at risk of low growth and rising inflation despite the ceasefire in Iran, the European Union’s top economy official said. “The longer-term outlook remains clouded by profound uncertainty,” EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told the European Parliament’s economic and monetary affairs committee on Thursday. “The European economy remains at risk of a stagflationary shock” he ...
Europe is still at risk of low growth and rising inflation despite the ceasefire in Iran, the European Union’s top economy official said. “The longer-term outlook remains clouded by profound uncertainty,” EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told the European Parliament’s economic and monetary affairs committee on Thursday. “The European economy remains at risk of a stagflationary shock” he added. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is set to cut its gross domestic product forecast and raise inflation projections for 2026 and 2027 as the fallout from the Iran war ripples through the global economy. Earlier this week, the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire to try and find a broader deal to end hostilities. But the pact remains fragile, leaving open the possibility of further escalation. Dombrovskis said the conflict could shave 0.4 percentage points off EU output this year if the war is short-lived, and 0.6 percentage points in 2026 and 2027 if the conflict drags on. The shorter scenario would also grow inflation by 1 percentage point this year, while the more severe scenario could add as much as 1.5 percentage points both this year and next, Dombrovskis told EU lawmakers. Read More: EU Sees Risk of Stagflation Shock for Europe From Iran War The commission is helping EU countries craft support packages for businesses and households to limit the budgetary hit, given that capitals’ public coffers have been stretched by the pandemic, the energy crisis and financing an arms race. “It is crucial to keep in mind that our room to maneuver here is more limited than before given previous shocks” and “the urgent need for additional defense spending,” Dombrovskis said. Support measures “should be targeted, have a clear end date and not increase aggregate demand for oil and gas at a time when savings are needed,” he added.
Hulk Hogan’s waterfront Florida “cottage” has been put on the market for $4.5 million, just two months after his primary residence—where he died in July 2025—was listed for just under $11 million.
Hulk Hogan’s waterfront Florida “cottage” has been put on the market for $4.5 million, just two months after his primary residence—where he died in July 2025—was listed for just under $11 million.
Eduard Lysenko/iStock via Getty Images Dragos Constantinescu will join British American Tobacco ( BTI ) as CFO and executive director with effect from September 1, 2026, the company said on Thursday. Dragos is currently serving as CEO of Asahi Europe & International, having been with Asahi Breweries since 2019. Javed Iqbal will continue to serve as interim CFO until Dragos’ appointment, following ...
Eduard Lysenko/iStock via Getty Images Dragos Constantinescu will join British American Tobacco ( BTI ) as CFO and executive director with effect from September 1, 2026, the company said on Thursday. Dragos is currently serving as CEO of Asahi Europe & International, having been with Asahi Breweries since 2019. Javed Iqbal will continue to serve as interim CFO until Dragos’ appointment, following which Javed will continue in his role as Director, Digital & Information. More on British American Tobacco British American Tobacco: The Ideal Defensive Asset With A 12x P/E British American Tobacco: Nicotine Pouches/Vapour Tailwinds Entering FY2026 - Rich Dividend Yields British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BTI) Presents at Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference 2026 Prepared Remarks Transcript Fast-track approval in the U.S. for nicotine pouches hits a speed bump Organigram gets C$65.2M BAT investment for Sanity
Japanese rock band One OK Rock has abruptly cancelled the Hong Kong leg of its Asian tour in early May due to “unforeseen circumstances”, leaving local fans disappointed. The announcement on Thursday followed a similar move in early March, when the band cancelled its May 9 concert in Shanghai. Led by frontman Taka, the band, which has 3 million Instagram followers, was originally slated to perform...
Japanese rock band One OK Rock has abruptly cancelled the Hong Kong leg of its Asian tour in early May due to “unforeseen circumstances”, leaving local fans disappointed. The announcement on Thursday followed a similar move in early March, when the band cancelled its May 9 concert in Shanghai. Led by frontman Taka, the band, which has 3 million Instagram followers, was originally slated to perform at the Central Harbourfront Event Space on May 2 and 3 as part of its “Detox” Asia Tour 2026. “This...
After decades of focusing on faces, manufacturers, beauticians and surgeons are offering us younger-looking hands. Is this more about money or scientific progress? I lay my hands on the table, palms down, for inspection. I’m in the consulting room of the president of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) in London. Like most people, I use my hands a lot. I type for hours a day. I go bou...
After decades of focusing on faces, manufacturers, beauticians and surgeons are offering us younger-looking hands. Is this more about money or scientific progress? I lay my hands on the table, palms down, for inspection. I’m in the consulting room of the president of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) in London. Like most people, I use my hands a lot. I type for hours a day. I go bouldering, which means I have a lot of calluses. I cook, clean, cup my chin while staring out the window. What I’ve never done is to look at my hands as objects of interest in their own right. They’re an afterthought. The means to an end. But now that Dr Sophie Shotter has picked them up in hers and is weighing my flesh and pushing at the skin with her thumbs to see how it moves, I can see faint ripples of diamonds, the texture of crepe paper. “Your facial skin is very clear, very smooth. When we look at your hands, you’ve got a bit more of that laxity going on,” Shotter says. “You don’t have pigmentation. You’re not covered in sunspots. But the veins and tendons testify to a loss of volume. The extreme end of that is one day we get what people describe as ‘old lady hands’ – significant volume loss with skin fragility overlying it.” Continue reading...
Becoming heavyweight champions of the world may be beyond the ninth tier club but new chair Jon McClure hopes to bring team back to the city “I told them if they bring a drum, I will buy them a pie,” was the message from the new Sheffield FC chair, Jon McClure, to young fans. The Reverend and the Makers frontman is Steel City born and raised, a Wednesday fan by nature and extremely proud of his ho...
Becoming heavyweight champions of the world may be beyond the ninth tier club but new chair Jon McClure hopes to bring team back to the city “I told them if they bring a drum, I will buy them a pie,” was the message from the new Sheffield FC chair, Jon McClure, to young fans. The Reverend and the Makers frontman is Steel City born and raised, a Wednesday fan by nature and extremely proud of his home town’s history. Becoming involved with the world’s oldest club was an opportunity not to be missed, and McClure knows how to create some noise. McClure wanted to link up with Sheffield FC eight years ago, but says he was not “in a mature enough position in my life to look after what’s essentially a kind of cultural and civic institution in the country and in Sheffield”. Since last month he has been at the heart of the ninth-tier club’s boardroom, part of a new minority ownership group alongside David Bianchi, the co-founder of Various Artists Management, reviewing the state of things and seeking improvement. Continue reading...
Record low levels of Antarctic sea ice is having grim consequences for penguins yet to grow waterproof feathers The mass drowning of emperor penguin chicks as sea ice is melted by the climate crisis has led the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to declare the species officially in danger of extinction. Emperor penguins rely on “fast” ice – sea ice that is firmly attached to the...
Record low levels of Antarctic sea ice is having grim consequences for penguins yet to grow waterproof feathers The mass drowning of emperor penguin chicks as sea ice is melted by the climate crisis has led the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to declare the species officially in danger of extinction. Emperor penguins rely on “fast” ice – sea ice that is firmly attached to the coast – for nine months of the year. It is where their fluffy chicks are hatched and grow until they have their waterproof feathers. Adults moult every year and also need a safe haven while their swimming feathers regrow. Continue reading...
Striking stories of the human impact from global events including the climate crisis, US aid cuts and drone wars. The World Press photo of the year and two finalists will be announced on 23 April Continue reading...
Striking stories of the human impact from global events including the climate crisis, US aid cuts and drone wars. The World Press photo of the year and two finalists will be announced on 23 April Continue reading...