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Central Banks

Wed, Apr 15, 2026 05:52 PM All times are UTC

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BoE Holds Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Shocks Stall Disinflation

Mar 19, 2026 15:14 pm UTC| Central Banks Insights & Views

At its March 19, 2026, policy meeting, the Bank of England (BoE) maintained its restrictive monetary attitude, choosing to keep the Bank Rate at 3.75% in a move consistent with overwhelming market expectations. The...

ECB Holds Rates Steady at 2.00% as Middle East Energy Shocks Cloud Inflation Outlook

Mar 19, 2026 11:56 am UTC| Central Banks Insights & Views

At its March 19, 2026, policy meeting, the European Central Bank (ECB) kept its wait-and-see attitude by opting not to change any of the main interest rates. In a move reflecting a neutral attitude against a complicated...

SNB Holds at 0% and Flags FX Intervention to Curb Franc Strength

Mar 19, 2026 11:04 am UTC| Central Banks Insights & Views

At its March 19, 2026, policy meeting, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) stayed course and maintained the headline policy rate at 0.00%. Consistent with market expectations, the central bank maintained its sight deposit...

Fed Holds Steady at 3.75% as Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Caution

Mar 19, 2026 04:44 am UTC| Central Banks Insights & Views

Maintaining the federal funds target range at 3.50% to 3.75%, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) finished its March 2026 meeting a decision motivated by ongoing inflation and increased worldwide instability. The...

BOJ Holds Interest Rates Steady Amid Middle East Uncertainty

Mar 19, 2026 03:01 am UTC| Economy Central Banks

Japans central bank maintained its benchmark interest rate at 0.75% following a two-day policy meeting that concluded on Thursday, a decision that aligned with broad market expectations. The Bank of Japans move comes at a...

Global Central Banks Hold Rates Amid Iran War-Driven Energy Price Surge

Mar 19, 2026 02:53 am UTC| Economy Central Banks

The United States Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada both held interest rates steady on Wednesday while signaling heightened vigilance as the ongoing Iran conflict continues to drive energy prices to alarming levels. The...

Fed Holds Rates Steady as Middle East Conflict Clouds Inflation Outlook

Mar 19, 2026 02:31 am UTC| Economy Central Banks

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged significant uncertainty Wednesday, stating policymakers just dont know how rising oil prices stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict will ultimately impact U.S....

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Economy

Asian Currencies Hold Steady Amid U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Hopes and Soft U.S. Inflation Data

Asian currencies traded within a narrow range on Wednesday as investors awaited further developments in U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations, while softer-than-expected U.S. inflation data offered modest relief to markets. The...

Gold Prices Ease From One-Month High Amid Iran Ceasefire Uncertainty

Gold prices slipped slightly from a one-month peak during Asian trading on Wednesday, with investors closely watching developments between the United States and Iran as a fragile ceasefire deadline approaches next week....

Strait of Hormuz Oil Shipments Resume Amid U.S.-Iran War Tensions

Global energy markets remain on edge as the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports continues to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that normally handles roughly one-fifth of worldwide oil and gas...

Asian Stocks Rally on Tech Gains and U.S.-Iran Diplomacy Hopes

Asian equity markets extended their winning streak on Wednesday, buoyed by strong performances in technology stocks and growing optimism surrounding potential U.S.-Iran diplomatic talks. The positive momentum followed a...

Iran War Drives Asia's Plastic Crisis — and a Green Packaging Boom

The ongoing Iran conflict is reshaping the global packaging industry in ways environmental advocates never anticipated. By disrupting Middle Eastern oil and petrochemical supplies, the war has driven plastic prices to...

Politics

Federal Agencies Secretly Test Anthropic's AI Despite Trump Administration Ban

Despite a formal directive from President Donald Trump ordering federal agencies to stop using Anthropics artificial intelligence technology, multiple U.S. government bodies have been quietly evaluating the companys latest...

Iran's Secret Use of Chinese Spy Satellite to Target U.S. Military Bases Revealed

A explosive new report from the Financial Times has uncovered that Iran covertly leveraged a Chinese spy satellite during a recent regional conflict, granting the Islamic Republic an unprecedented ability to surveil and...

Trump Warns Against Iranian Nuclear Weapons, Criticizes Pope Leo

President Donald Trump renewed his sharp criticism of Pope Leo on Tuesday, taking to his Truth Social platform to issue a stern warning about Irans nuclear ambitions while highlighting what he described as a severe human...

Japan Opens Arms Export Floodgates: New Policy Draws Global Defense Interest

Japan is preparing to significantly loosen its arms export restrictions, and allies from Europe to Southeast Asia are already lining up. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis ruling party has approved the sweeping policy changes,...

U.S. Blockade on Iran Tightens Amid Ceasefire Uncertainty

United States military forces have fully enacted a naval blockade against Iran, halting all sea-based economic trade flowing in and out of the country, according to a statement released Tuesday by U.S. Central Command. The...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

ASML Raises 2026 Revenue Outlook as AI Chip Demand Surges

ASML Holding N.V. lifted its full-year 2026 revenue forecast after the Dutch semiconductor equipment giant surpassed first-quarter profit and sales expectations. The results were fueled by accelerating AI-driven chip...

KKR's $820M Investment Fuels Samsung SDS AI Expansion, Sending Group Shares Soaring

Samsung Group stocks rallied sharply on Wednesday following KKRs announcement of a major strategic partnership with Samsung SDS, reigniting investor confidence in the conglomerates artificial intelligence and digital...

DEEPX Partners with Hyundai to Power Next-Gen AI Robots Ahead of IPO

South Korean AI chip startup DEEPX is deepening its collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group to build a cutting-edge computing platform for generative AI-powered robots. The initiative will be driven by the companys upcoming...

Anthropic Nears $800 Billion Valuation as Investor Confidence Surges

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence startup behind the Claude AI assistant, is reportedly fielding investment offers that could value the company at up to $800 billion. According to Business Insider, multiple venture...

SK Hynix Shares Hit Record High Amid AI Memory Demand Surge

SK Hynix shares soared to an all-time high on Tuesday, riding a wave of renewed investor confidence in artificial intelligence infrastructure and fresh momentum from developments tied to fellow memory chipmaker SanDisk....