Breakfast News Recap: Ebola spreads in Congo as Middle East tensions, Ukraine strikes and oil risks mount
The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is still spreading, with health teams struggling to keep pace as the response lags behind the virus. 🔗In the Middle East, violence has widened on several fronts, with Houthi forces launching ballistic missile attacks on al Makha and Marib in Yemen, while UN peacekeepers said Israeli forces fired 455 projectiles into south Lebanon and breached Lebanese airspace 97 times over the same period. 🔗 🔗Gaza diplomacy also remains stalled after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected a 15 point peace plan drafted by the US... [Continue Reading]
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Europe opens mixed as oil and precious metals surge, FTSE slips while DAX and CAC edge higher
Executive summary: European markets opened with a split tone, as the FTSE 100 slipped while the DAX, CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 posted modest gains. The biggest moves were in commodities, with Brent crude jumping nearly 8%, gold surging above $4,400 and silver and natural gas also rallying sharply. FX was firmer for the euro and sterling against the dollar, while USD/JPY pushed higher, adding to the cross-asset signal that inflation and geopolitical risk are back in focus. [Continue Reading]
Tokyo and Asia-Pacific Close Higher as Nikkei Surges, Oil and Gold Jump on Inflation-Risk Trade
Executive summary: Tokyo led a broadly firmer Asia-Pacific session, with the Nikkei 225 and Nikkei ETF both posting strong gains as commodity prices spiked and the yen weakened. WTI crude, gold, silver and natural gas all advanced sharply, while Hang Seng and Kospi slipped modestly. The move points to a market leaning toward inflation hedges and cyclical exposure, even as some regional equity benchmarks lagged. [Continue Reading]
Zelenskyy says North Korean missile and up to 50,000 troops may be heading to Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said preliminary data suggests a North Korean ballistic missile was used in a Russian attack that killed a Ukrainian family last month. He also said a decision has been made to send up to 50,000 North Korean troops to fight for Russia. The remarks point to a possible deepening of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang at a time when the war in Ukraine remains under heavy strain.Zelenskyy said the missile that killed five members of the Voronov family in the Dnipropetrovsk region was, based on preliminary data, a North Korean ballistic missile. He said... [Continue Reading]
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Tokyo Opens Higher as Oil and Gold Surge, Nikkei Jumps on Risk Repricing
Executive summary: Tokyo and broader Asia-Pacific trading opened with a sharp risk reprice, led by a powerful rally in energy and precious metals. The Nikkei 225 and Nikkei 225 ETF both climbed strongly, while the ASX 200 advanced and the Kospi lagged. WTI crude, gold and silver all posted outsized gains, while USD/JPY moved higher and ether fell. The move points to a market still reacting to inflation, supply and policy uncertainty, with commodity strength feeding into sector rotation across equities. [Continue Reading]
Trump signs order to limit childhood vaccines and split MMR shots
President Donald Trump has signed an order calling for fewer childhood vaccines and recommending that the mumps, measles and rubella, or MMR, vaccine be split into separate shots. The announcement was made in the Oval Office on Monday and marks a new federal push on childhood immunisation policy. The order says the administration is recognising what it calls gold standard childhood vaccine recommendations for 11 core vaccinations.Trump said children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today decades ago and argued that people were healthier then. He also linked the change to autism, repeating a claim that has... [Continue Reading]
Wall Street closes sharply higher as tech, chips and energy lead a broad risk-on surge
Executive summary: U.S. equities finished higher across the board, led by a powerful rebound in technology and semiconductor shares, while oil, gold and silver also jumped. The Nasdaq Composite rose 2.67%, the S&P 500 gained 2.01% and the Dow added 1.50%, with Nvidia, Microsoft and Tesla among the standout large-cap winners. The move came alongside a sharp rise in WTI crude and a weaker Ether price, underscoring a session where inflation-sensitive commodities and growth stocks both drew heavy attention. [Continue Reading]
Day News Recap: Ukraine strikes deep in Russia as heat, war and security alerts spread
Ukraine said its drones hit the Taneko refinery in Nizhnekamsk in Russia's Tatarstan region, in an attack that also struck a hostel, as the death toll from the wider strike rose. 🔗Oil prices climbed sharply as traders lost hope that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen soon, with the prolonged closure keeping one of the world's most important shipping routes under pressure. 🔗 Iran also appointed former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, a move that comes as talks over the strait continue. 🔗In the Middle East, Yemen's Houthis renewed missile and drone... [Continue Reading]
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Indonesia launches Sharia-compliant Gold ETF to expand bullion market
Indonesia's Financial Services Authority (OJK) and stock exchange operators have launched a Sharia-compliant Gold Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) in Jakarta, with officials describing it as part of efforts to expand the nation's bullion market and improve capital sector liquidity. OJK Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Friderica Widyasari Dewi said the bullion market expansion is a "quick win" within the regulator's eight action plans. The new Gold ETF allows investors to track gold price movements on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) without needing to physically store the metal. The instrument follows Islamic financial principles under a fatwa issued by the National Sharia Council... [Continue Reading]
Europe closes higher as oil and precious metals surge, DAX leads regional gains
Executive summary: European equities finished broadly higher, with the DAX leading major benchmarks and commodity-linked assets driving the day’s biggest moves. Brent crude jumped sharply, gold and silver extended strong gains, and the euro and pound firmed against the dollar, while ether slipped. The move set points to a market still balancing growth optimism, inflation sensitivity, and renewed attention on energy costs. [Continue Reading]
Wall Street Opens Higher as Tech, Chips and Commodities Lead a Broad Risk-On Move
Executive summary: U.S. markets opened sharply higher, led by AI and chip stocks, with the Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500 and Russell 2000 all advancing. The strongest moves came in SOXX, XLK and crude oil, while gold also extended its rally. The opening tone points to a broad risk-on session, with investors rotating into growth, energy and defensive hedges at the same time. [Continue Reading]
European markets open firmer as oil and precious metals surge, DAX leads gains
Executive summary: European equities opened higher, led by the DAX, while Brent crude and precious metals posted outsized gains that are likely to shape the session’s tone. The move points to a market balancing stronger commodity inflation signals against a still-supportive risk backdrop for stocks and currencies. [Continue Reading]
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Tokyo and Asia-Pacific close higher as Nikkei surges, gold and oil extend risk bid
Executive summary: Tokyo led a broadly firmer Asia-Pacific session, with the Nikkei 225 jumping +4.7% and the Nikkei 225 ETF rising +4.9%. Autos, commodities and energy-linked assets outperformed, while Hong Kong lagged slightly and the yen weakened further against the dollar. The move points to a strong risk-on tone, but also to a market still sensitive to currency moves, commodity inflation and policy expectations. [Continue Reading]
Tokyo Opens Higher as Gold Surges, Oil Firms and Asia-Pacific Risk Appetite Stays Mixed
Executive summary: Tokyo and broader Asia-Pacific markets opened with a firmer tone, led by gains in Japanese equities and resource-linked assets, while Hong Kong lagged. Gold extended a powerful rally, crude oil also moved higher, and the yen stayed weak against the dollar. The move set reflects a market still balancing inflation hedging, commodity strength and uneven regional equity sentiment. [Continue Reading]
Sydney Airport near-miss prompts investigations and staff stand-downs
Two airport workers have been stood down after a near-miss at Sydney Airport in which two passenger aircraft came within metres of each other on the tarmac. The incident involved a Jetstar flight preparing to depart for the Gold Coast and a Qatar Airways aircraft being towed across the airport. A Jetstar crew member was injured when the aircraft braked abruptly to avoid a collision.Federal Transport Minister Catherine King is due to meet Airservices Australia chief executive Rob Sharp in Canberra, as emergency meetings are held over the incident. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is leading the investigation, while Airservices... [Continue Reading]
The Great Uncoupling: Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Gambit
The UAE’s decision to cut ties with OPEC is far more than a mere adjustment of energy policy, for it functions as a political telegram written in barrels and sent directly to the heart of the global order. For nearly six decades, Abu Dhabi operated within the rigid architecture of producer discipline, where it accepted the rituals of quotas, the formality of communiqués, and the heavy burden of collective restraint. It played the long game of oil diplomacy with a patient hand, balancing its own massive national ambitions against the gravity of cartel discipline and the delicate logic of Gulf... [Continue Reading]
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The Glass Elevator to Nowhere: A World Trapped in a Chocolate Factory
As a journalist in my mid-fifties, I thought my skin had thickened to the point of being impenetrable. I have covered the rise and fall of regimes, the grinding gears of the Cold War's leftovers, and the digital revolutions that promised to unite us. I thought I had seen every trick in the political playbook. Then came Donald Trump’s 2026 foreign policy, and I realized I was not watching a statesman; I was watching a child play with a chemistry set he does not understand. The Willy Wonka of the West: Rule by Whim Walking into a press briefing lately... [Continue Reading]
There Is Good in Every Bad
Power, Greed, Oil, and the Theater of Modern Geopolitics The Business Model of Power Donald Trump does not govern like a traditional politician. He governs like a negotiator who believes every geopolitical crisis is leverage, every war threat is a bargaining chip, and every market panic is an opportunity. When markets tremble, someone profits. The question is, who? Global markets react instantly to political tension. Gold rises when conflict looms. Oil spikes when instability threatens production. Stock markets collapse on fear, then rebound on reassurance. Volatility is not chaos, it is opportunity. Historically, gold has surged during major geopolitical crises,... [Continue Reading]


