Singapore is set to see higher electricity prices in the months ahead as the US-Israeli war against Iran tightens global energy supplies, authorities warned. Fuel prices are “expected to remain elevated in the foreseeable future” given the extensive disruption to oil and natural gas production and shipping in the Middle East, Singapore’s Energy Market Authority said in a statement on Tuesday. The ...
Singapore is set to see higher electricity prices in the months ahead as the US-Israeli war against Iran tightens global energy supplies, authorities warned. Fuel prices are “expected to remain elevated in the foreseeable future” given the extensive disruption to oil and natural gas production and shipping in the Middle East, Singapore’s Energy Market Authority said in a statement on Tuesday. The city-state, which depends on imported natural gas to generate the vast majority of its electricity, bought more than 40% of its liquefied natural gas from Qatar last year, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Qatar is home to the world’s largest LNG plant, which was forced to shut down after being damaged in Iranian attacks earlier this month. Singapore’s electricity rates are determined based on the average fuel costs in the preceding quarter, so prices in April through June will only be partially affected by the war, which broke out at the end of February, the EMA said. The following quarters could see “further and potentially sharper increases in the electricity and town gas tariffs,” it said. “We cannot predict how long the conflict in the Middle East will last. Household and business consumers must therefore be prepared for higher and more volatile energy costs,” the EMA said, calling on consumers to use more energy-efficient appliances and conserve energy. Gas-Reliant Singapore Faces Higher Power Bills on Qatar Halt Iran War’s Gas Supply Shock Pushes Top Consumers Back to Coal The supply shock stemming from the conflict has highlighted the vulnerability of nations that rely heavily on energy imports. Most of Qatar’s LNG goes to Asian buyers, and many other importers are scrambling for alternatives across the region. Taiwan spent over $600 million more to secure spot cargoes as of June, while countries such as Japan and South Korea are weighing heavier reliance on coal.
TexBr/iStock via Getty Images By David McNay, CFA, Director, Global Investment Research Is the conflict in the Middle East over? Because after Donald Trump’s March 23rd [1] on Truth Social, the Russell 2000 options market was ready to price de-escalation. We don’t have the answer. Even if we did, volatility is elevated, and price action is being dominated by sentiment and news flow rather than fun...
TexBr/iStock via Getty Images By David McNay, CFA, Director, Global Investment Research Is the conflict in the Middle East over? Because after Donald Trump’s March 23rd [1] on Truth Social, the Russell 2000 options market was ready to price de-escalation. We don’t have the answer. Even if we did, volatility is elevated, and price action is being dominated by sentiment and news flow rather than fundamentals – meaning analysis can become stale quickly. With this short insight, we explain how we are looking at two charts [2] that we have found helpful to frame the question. Option skew: the cost of insurance At a high level, we measure skew using risk reversals, which act as a measure of market risk sentiment, reflecting relative demand for protection – when the skew is negative, markets are paying more to protect downside risk than upside. Skew itself is just the difference in implied volatility between a call option and a put [3] . Remembering that being long a call option gives one the right, but not the obligation, to buy the underlying at a specified price, while a put option provides the right to sell. Figure 1: Russell 2000 3M 25-delta risk reversal and long-term history Source: FTSE Russell, LSEG Datastream; data to 25 March 2026. Past performance is not a guide to future returns. Please see the end for important legal disclosures. Equity indices generally expect negative skew – an entirely rational response to investors' asymmetric risk tolerance and willingness to pay for protection. We observe this in the 10Y history of Russell 2000 3M Δ25 risk reversals, which had an average skew of around -6.5 volatility points for a 3M contract. We also threw in the term Δ25 (25 delta), which deserves explanation. Delta is the less intuitive [4] cousin of moneyness. Moneyness is quoted as a percentage from spot, e.g., a strike of $110 vs. an underlying of $100 may be 10% out-of-the-money (OTM). Delta is similar and can be thought of as the sensitivity of the option price ...
Ant Group Co. Ltd. has taken control of Hong Kong-listed Bright Smart Securities and Commodities Group Ltd. after completing a HK$2.8 billion ($361 million) acquisition that was delayed pending mainland regulatory approvals . The deal was first announced in April 2025. Ant agreed to buy a 50.55% stake at HK$3.28 per share, representing a premium at the time of the announcement.
Ant Group Co. Ltd. has taken control of Hong Kong-listed Bright Smart Securities and Commodities Group Ltd. after completing a HK$2.8 billion ($361 million) acquisition that was delayed pending mainland regulatory approvals . The deal was first announced in April 2025. Ant agreed to buy a 50.55% stake at HK$3.28 per share, representing a premium at the time of the announcement.
Checkout.com, a leading global digital payments company, today announced a 71% year-over-year increase in its total processing volume across the APAC region, following a strong year for enterprise merchant partnerships.
Checkout.com, a leading global digital payments company, today announced a 71% year-over-year increase in its total processing volume across the APAC region, following a strong year for enterprise merchant partnerships.
England face Japan in their next friendly match as they continue their preparations for the World Cup this summer. BBC Sport takes a look at the Japanese players to look out for.
England face Japan in their next friendly match as they continue their preparations for the World Cup this summer. BBC Sport takes a look at the Japanese players to look out for.