Woman assaulted after man was given key card to her room criticises CEO Jo Boydell over cancelled meeting A woman who was sexually assaulted by a man who was handed a key card to her room at a Travelodge has said she was shocked to learn the hotel chain’s boss cancelled a meeting with a group of MPs seeking to discuss concerns about the case. More than 20 MPs had demanded the meeting this month to...
Woman assaulted after man was given key card to her room criticises CEO Jo Boydell over cancelled meeting A woman who was sexually assaulted by a man who was handed a key card to her room at a Travelodge has said she was shocked to learn the hotel chain’s boss cancelled a meeting with a group of MPs seeking to discuss concerns about the case. More than 20 MPs had demanded the meeting this month to discuss the matter – including details of the chain’s security processes and procedures that led to it offering the victim an “insulting” £30 refund after the incident. Continue reading...
D. Lentz/iStock via Getty Images By Ewa Manthey, Commodities Strategist and Warren Patterson, Head of Commodities Strategy Energy – Oil jumps on Iran war escalation Oil prices jumped at the start of the week as the Middle East conflict intensified and Iran‑backed Houthi militants entered the war. Brent crude surged as much as 3.7% to $116.75/bbl, while WTI briefly moved back above $100/bbl, as fig...
D. Lentz/iStock via Getty Images By Ewa Manthey, Commodities Strategist and Warren Patterson, Head of Commodities Strategy Energy – Oil jumps on Iran war escalation Oil prices jumped at the start of the week as the Middle East conflict intensified and Iran‑backed Houthi militants entered the war. Brent crude surged as much as 3.7% to $116.75/bbl, while WTI briefly moved back above $100/bbl, as fighting extended into a fifth week. Yemen‑based Houthis launched ballistic missiles at Israel over the weekend, following US‑Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, raising fears of a broader regional escalation. The group has previously disrupted Red Sea shipping, forcing vessels to reroute and heightening concerns over energy supply chains. Risks were further amplified by the deployment of an additional 3,500 US troops to the region and renewed rhetoric from US President Donald Trump, who said he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island. There remains little sign of imminent peace talks. Tight physical market conditions are also evident in the forward curve, with Brent’s prompt spread in deep backwardation. The front‑month contract traded at a premium of more than $7/bbl on Monday, compared with a largely flat structure before the conflict, underscoring acute near‑term supply concerns. Emergency stock releases are starting to trickle through but remain limited relative to the scale of the disruption. France has released around 580kb of oil products under the IEA’s coordinated emergency programme, roughly 4% of its 14.5mb commitment, while the overall IEA release could add around 400mb to global supply, led by a 172mb contribution from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Positioning data shows speculative interest remains elevated despite some trimming. Speculators reduced their net long in ICE Brent by 21,579 lots to 407,125 lots as of last Tuesday, driven largely by a reduction in gross longs, while positioning changes in NYMEX ...
ZenSaBi Stock index futures were higher on Monday as investors navigated a holiday-shortened week with eyes on the ongoing Iran conflict. Now, here are five news stories that broke overnight to watch out for: Treasury eyes private credit volatility: The U.S. Treasury Department is likely to hold the first in a series of meetings in the coming weeks with domestic and international insurance regulat...
ZenSaBi Stock index futures were higher on Monday as investors navigated a holiday-shortened week with eyes on the ongoing Iran conflict. Now, here are five news stories that broke overnight to watch out for: Treasury eyes private credit volatility: The U.S. Treasury Department is likely to hold the first in a series of meetings in the coming weeks with domestic and international insurance regulators to discuss recent volatility in private credit markets, Reuters reported. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been planning since January to initiate regular consultations with insurance regulators beginning in the second quarter, with the first meeting potentially announced as early as Wednesday. Meta’s internal research backfires: Meta Platforms’ ( META ) past efforts to study its impact on users are now backfiring, as internal research highlighted in recent court losses appears to contradict the company’s public claims . Brian Boland, a former Facebook executive who testified in trials in New Mexico and Los Angeles, told CNBC that damning findings from Meta’s internal research and documents seemed to contradict how the company portrayed itself publicly. Goldman sees improved outlook after selloff: After investors reduced exposure to U.S. equities last week, the distribution of near-term outcomes has improved, according to Goldman Sachs strategists. The team led by Ben Snider expects S&P 500 earnings to grow at a solid 12% this year, barring a severely prolonged disruption, with AI investment presenting a key tailwind. The first-quarter earnings season in mid-April will be key in providing clarity on the outlook and the impact of the Middle East conflict. “Project Hail Mary” dominates box office: “Project Hail Mary” continued its strong theatrical run in its second weekend, pulling in an estimated $54.5M and reinforcing its status as the year’s biggest breakout hit so far. The sci-fi film from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, starring Ryan Gosling, slipped just ...