Private equity and other investment firms remain broadly optimistic about deploying capital in acquisitions and initial public offerings (IPOs) globally, supported by ample dry powder and diversification efforts while keeping a close eye on geopolitics, according to senior investment bankers. As geopolitical uncertainty had become a constant factor in the global market in recent years, “we are bro...
Private equity and other investment firms remain broadly optimistic about deploying capital in acquisitions and initial public offerings (IPOs) globally, supported by ample dry powder and diversification efforts while keeping a close eye on geopolitics, according to senior investment bankers. As geopolitical uncertainty had become a constant factor in the global market in recent years, “we are broadly optimistic about the opportunities”, Ashu Khullar, head of global asset managers at Citigroup, said in Hong Kong on Monday. The London-based banker’s comments came as global markets were under renewed pressure, with crude oil surging above US$100 a barrel for the first time since the height of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, amid concerns that the US-Israeli war against Iran could be prolonged. Advertisement “Geopolitics is something which keeps on raising its head and it is hard to predict how long it will last,” he said. “If anything, all these recent events have shown [that] people need to become more self-sufficient, and that is leading to a fair bit of activity.” Khullar and Vikram Chavali, Citigroup’s head of Asia-Pacific financial sponsors, said it was too early to comment on current events but their clients’ rebounding sentiment showed signs of resilience. Advertisement These financial sponsors, including private equity and infrastructure funds, sovereign wealth and pension funds, family offices and hedge fund clients, sat on massive stores of dry powder and needed to deploy capital to deliver returns to their investors, they said.
Hims & Hers shares jumped nearly 50% in premarket trade on Monday after a report it has ended a dispute with Novo Nordisk by striking a partnership with the Danish drug giant.
Hims & Hers shares jumped nearly 50% in premarket trade on Monday after a report it has ended a dispute with Novo Nordisk by striking a partnership with the Danish drug giant.
Why Nuclear Energy Is More Vital Than Ever As geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have escalated into direct conflict involving Iran, the global energy market is once again reminded of its precarious dependence on critical chokepoints. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a crawl amid threats and attacks, while QatarEnergy halted LNG production following strikes on its facilities. ...
Why Nuclear Energy Is More Vital Than Ever As geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have escalated into direct conflict involving Iran, the global energy market is once again reminded of its precarious dependence on critical chokepoints. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a crawl amid threats and attacks, while QatarEnergy halted LNG production following strikes on its facilities. Oil prices jumped… *BRENT OIL SURGES 13% TO $82 A BARREL AT OPEN AFTER IRAN STRIKES https://t.co/yD07qFkNk4 — zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 1, 2026 ...and European natural gas benchmarks surged by as much as 45-50% in a single day. *EUROPE GAS PRICES SURGE 50% AFTER QATARI LNG PRODUCTION HALTS https://t.co/NZImdHqf6A — zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 2, 2026 For economies reliant on imported fossil fuels, it’s a stark warning. In contrast, nuclear power plants around the world continue to hum along largely unaffected , chugging steadily forward while fossil markets panic. With fuel assemblies stockpiled for one to two years or more of operation, nuclear facilities don’t rely on daily tanker shipments or volatile global supply chains. Their high capacity factors provide consistent baseload power regardless of weather, politics, or the status of distant straits. This resilience stands in sharp relief to the chaos in oil and LNG markets. The current disruptions highlight nuclear energy’s unique advantages for energy security. Uranium fuel is compact and can be sourced from diverse, stable suppliers or even domestic reserves in many nations. Once loaded, a reactor operates independently of the geopolitical storms that buffet fossil fuel transport routes like the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly 20% of global oil and significant LNG volumes from Qatar. Europe finds itself particularly exposed. The continent’s energy import dependency is already over 50%, with countries like Germany historically even higher. Decades of policy prioritizing renewables and phasing out nuclear pow...
Asia’s energy-importing economies are scrambling to contain the impact of a widening Middle East war that has upended oil and gas markets and is now battering ordinary buyers, from farmers to car manufacturers and crematorium operators. During an emergency meeting on Monday, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung became the latest to call for a swift cap on fuel prices — a step the government could...
Asia’s energy-importing economies are scrambling to contain the impact of a widening Middle East war that has upended oil and gas markets and is now battering ordinary buyers, from farmers to car manufacturers and crematorium operators. During an emergency meeting on Monday, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung became the latest to call for a swift cap on fuel prices — a step the government could take this week . Taiwan, which also depends almost entirely on energy imports, has already set a weekly limit on oil-price increases, while Japan’s prime minister has said the country is examining measures to ensure gasoline prices do not exceed acceptable levels. “Governments can use subsidies in the short term to protect end-users,” said Masanori Odaka, an analyst at Rystad Energy. “But this comes at a cost, because you’re borrowing from the future to keep the near-term price suppressed.” Since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began 10 days ago, upheaval has spread across the Persian Gulf and beyond, shuttering production at major suppliers and export facilities, and effectively halting transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime chokepoint. As the region most dependent on those oil, gas and fuel flows, Asia has been on edge after a weekend of bad news led to a spike in prices, pushing oil close to $120 a barrel in early trade. For many in an energy-hungry region, a crisis thousands of miles away already feels far too real. Read More: Queues, Price Hikes and Shortages as Asia Battles Fuel Crunch From Bangladesh to Thailand and Singapore, drivers rushed to fill tanks, fearing disruption and higher costs ahead, despite reassuring official comments on supply and efforts to stop price gouging. In Vietnam, diesel alone has surged almost 57% since late February, and dozens of petrol stations have shortened operating hours or temporarily halted sales to cope with the rush, according to local reports. In Australia, the government has sought to reassure buyers including fa...
It was one of Wall Street’s hottest trades , but a trifecta of troubles has ushered in one of the steepest drawdowns for high-flying momentum stocks in years. To some equity pros, the washout looks like it’s close to a breaking point. The momentum factor — a trading strategy that entails chasing winners and selling losers — has slumped more than 9% from February’s peak after notching its third-lar...
It was one of Wall Street’s hottest trades , but a trifecta of troubles has ushered in one of the steepest drawdowns for high-flying momentum stocks in years. To some equity pros, the washout looks like it’s close to a breaking point. The momentum factor — a trading strategy that entails chasing winners and selling losers — has slumped more than 9% from February’s peak after notching its third-largest down day in two years Wednesday, a scope that in the past has been associated with temporary troughs before a rebound, according to a Barclays Plc analysis. With the US-Iran war and gloomy jobs data rattling investors already trying to cope with AI disruption anxiety, momentum trades notched the worst week among 12 factors tracked by Bloomberg. “We are in full blown panic unwind mode, with price action across cross-regional stocks illustrating extreme levels of stress even if the index is not,” according to Alexander Altmann , global head of equities tactical strategies at the bank. Although a downside overshoot is possible, his team was “ready to call time,” after Wednesday’s factor move ranked in the 0.3 percentile of one-day swings over the past two years. The collapse in momentum comes amid a wider selloff that’s pushed major US stock benchmarks into the red for the year, with equity futures pointing to further declines on Monday morning as oil surged past $100 per barrel. Much of the pressure originated in software shares, where artificial intelligence advances stoked fear that AI would disrupt existing business models, sending some companies spiraling toward double-digit losses. The war in Iran added to the turbulence, sparking worries of an energy supply shock, alongside existing AI jitters. Market agita was exacerbated further on Friday when the latest non-farm payrolls report showed US employers unexpectedly cut jobs in February and the unemployment rate rose, raising doubts about the health of the labor market at a time when the threat of inflation from risin...
World shares tumble as Iran war pushes crude prices over $110 a barrel toggle caption AP/Kyodo News BANGKOK — World shares tumbled on Monday, with Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index plunging more than 5%, after oil prices spiked at nearly $120 a barrel, casting a shadow over economies heavily dependent on imports of oil and gas from the Middle East. The futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq composite in...
World shares tumble as Iran war pushes crude prices over $110 a barrel toggle caption AP/Kyodo News BANGKOK — World shares tumbled on Monday, with Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index plunging more than 5%, after oil prices spiked at nearly $120 a barrel, casting a shadow over economies heavily dependent on imports of oil and gas from the Middle East. The futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq composite index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were trading more than 1% lower after dropping more than 2% late Sunday. A Chinese special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, called for an end to the attacks and said strikes on non-military targets and civilians should be condemned. Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warned against hoarding, panic buying and collusion between refiners and gas stations. "Please respond proactively to the growing volatility in the financial and foreign exchange markets, which are the lifeblood of our economy," Lee said. He said the government would cap fuel prices. Sponsor Message Oil prices rocketed higher after both sides in the war struck new targets over the weekend, including civilian ones. Bahrain accused Iran of hitting one of the desalination plants that are crucial for drinking water in Gulf countries. Its national oil company declared force majeure after the country's sole oil refinery was attacked. Israel struck oil depots in Tehran, sending up thick smoke and causing environmental alerts. In early European trading, Germany's DAX dropped 2.6% to 22,983.67 and the CAC 40 in Paris lost 2.7% to 7,779.46. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 1.9% to 10,089.05. The only market to show gains was in oil exporter Norway, where its benchmark edged 0.1% higher. During Asian trading, Japan's Nikkei 225 plunged more than 7% early in the day but regained some of those losses to close 5.2% lower at 52,728.72. South Korea's Kospi sank 6% to 5,251.87. Chinese markets, which tend to be less affected by global trends, saw more moderate losses. Hong Kong's ...
Glasgow Central is to remain closed until at least Tuesday after a building next door to Scotland’s busiest railway station collapsed during a major fire. National Rail said the station would remain closed with no estimate on when it would reopen after the fire, believed to have started in a vape shop in Union Street on Sunday afternoon. The blaze gutted the mid-Victorian Forsyth building that sur...
Glasgow Central is to remain closed until at least Tuesday after a building next door to Scotland’s busiest railway station collapsed during a major fire. National Rail said the station would remain closed with no estimate on when it would reopen after the fire, believed to have started in a vape shop in Union Street on Sunday afternoon. The blaze gutted the mid-Victorian Forsyth building that surrounds one corner of the station in Glasgow city centre, destroying shops and businesses including a well-known fish and chip shop, the Blue Lagoon, a salon and a cafe. On Monday morning, nine fire appliances and three high-reach Scottish Fire and Rescue Service vehicles were still at the scene, working to douse the remaining flames. There were no reported casualties. There is no significant damage to the station but Network Rail said it would remain closed all day while the fire was being dealt with, as would surrounding streets, causing major disruption to transport services and commuters. Vape shop fire near Glasgow Central station closes causes major rail disruption – video Paul Sweeney, a Scottish Labour MSP who is an expert in Glasgow’s architectural heritage, urged the fire service and the authorities to weigh up tougher inspections and regulations of vape shops. After the fire began, witnesses reported hearing explosions inside the building, believed to have been caused by the lithium batteries used by some vape devices that were stored onsite, with flames seen shooting from the B-listed structure. By late evening on Sunday, the fire had torn through much of the block, causing its dome to collapse. “To see the entire building completely consumed in an inferno was truly shocking,” Sweeney told BBC Radio Scotland on Monday morning. He added: “I think it’s just raised serious questions about the proximity of critical national infrastructure to these vape shops.” “I think there are significant concerns that essentially Scotland’s busiest station can be wiped out by this...