Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Economy

Fri, May 15, 2026 09:40 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Asian Stocks Rally as Iran War Fears Ease and AI Boom Lifts South Korea

May 06, 2026 04:00 am UTC| Economy

Asian stock markets climbed on Wednesday as investor sentiment improved amid hopes of easing tensions between the United States and Iran. A strong rally in technology shares, fueled by continued enthusiasm around...

Gold Prices Rise as Weak Dollar and Lower Oil Prices Boost Safe-Haven Demand

May 06, 2026 03:58 am UTC| Economy

Gold prices climbed during Asian trading on Wednesday as a softer U.S. dollar and declining oil prices supported investor demand for the precious metal. Market sentiment improved after signs of easing tensions in the...

Wall Street Futures Climb as Trump Signals Iran Deal Progress

May 06, 2026 02:33 am UTC| Economy

U.S. stock index futures moved higher Tuesday night after President Donald Trump announced a temporary pause in Operation Freedom, a military initiative aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Investors reacted positively...

Oil Prices Slide as Middle East Tensions Ease and U.S. Crude Inventories Shrink

May 06, 2026 02:32 am UTC| Economy

Oil prices continued to decline during Asian trading on Wednesday as improving geopolitical sentiment in the Middle East reduced fears of supply disruptions, while traders also evaluated fresh data showing a sharp drop in...

China Services PMI Rises in April Despite Weak Export Demand

May 06, 2026 02:13 am UTC| Economy

Chinas services sector expanded at a faster pace in April, supported by stronger domestic demand and rising new business activity, according to a private survey released Wednesday. The latest data highlights the mixed...

Copper Prices Hold Near Three-Week Low Amid Strong Dollar and Global Slowdown Fears

May 05, 2026 08:04 am UTC| Economy

London copper prices stabilized on Tuesday after earlier slipping to a three-week low, as market sentiment remained pressured by a strengthening U.S. dollar and growing concerns over a potential global economic slowdown....

RBA Raises Interest Rates to 4.35% Amid Rising Inflation Risks and Middle East Tensions

May 05, 2026 08:02 am UTC| Economy Central Banks

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.35% on Tuesday, a move widely anticipated by markets. The decision reflects growing concerns over inflation, particularly as...

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Economy

UK Stocks Slide as Labour Leadership Tensions and U.S.-China Talks Shape Markets

British stocks closed lower on Friday as political uncertainty surrounding the U.K.s ruling Labour Party pressured investor sentiment and weakened the pound for a fourth straight session. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.61%, while...

Cuba Weighs $100M U.S. Aid Offer Amid Fuel Crisis

Cuba said Thursday it is open to considering a $100 million humanitarian aid proposal from the United States, though officials remain doubtful about President Donald Trumps broader intentions as the island struggles...

Vietnam Economic Growth Forecast Slows to 6.8% in 2026, Says World Bank

Vietnams economic growth is projected to ease to 6.8% in 2026 after the country recorded a strong 8% expansion last year, according to the latest assessment released by the World Bank on Friday. Despite the slower pace,...

BOJ Rate Hike Expectations Grow as Inflation and Weak Yen Pressure Japan Economy

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) is increasingly expected to raise its key interest rate to 1.0% in June as policymakers face mounting inflation risks linked to rising energy prices and the continued weakness of the Japanese yen....

Trump Says China to Boost U.S. Oil Imports After Xi Talks

U.S. President Donald Trump said China has agreed to significantly increase purchases of American oil and energy products following high-level discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Speaking during a...

Politics

Ukraine Begins Major POW Swap as 205 Soldiers Return from Russian Captivity

Ukraine has successfully brought home 205 service personnel from Russian captivity in the first phase of a large-scale prisoner exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed on Friday. The operation marks a...

US Plans Imminent Indictment of Cuba’s Raul Castro Over 1996 Plane Shootdown

The United States is reportedly preparing to indict former Cuban President Raul Castro in connection with the 1996 downing of civilian aircraft operated by the humanitarian organization Brothers to the Rescue. According to...

US-China Trade Talks Sideline Chip Export Controls as Nvidia China Sales Draw Attention

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington and Beijing did not engage in detailed discussions about U.S. chip export controls during the latest Trump-Xi summit in China. Speaking to Bloomberg TV on Thursday,...

Matthew Wale Elected Solomon Islands Prime Minister After No-Confidence Vote

Matthew Wale has been elected as the new Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands after lawmakers voted out former leader Jeremiah Manele in a no-confidence motion last week. The Solomon Islands parliament selected Wale on...

Rubio Urges China to Release Jimmy Lai and Political Prisoners

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is seeking a positive response from China regarding repeated appeals for the release of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and other political detainees....

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

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...

Technology

Samsung Shares Drop as Labor Union Confirms Planned Strike

Samsung Electronics shares fell sharply on Friday after the companys largest labor union confirmed it would move forward with a planned strike later this month despite renewed calls for negotiations. The decline added...

Alphabet Raises Record $3.6 Billion in Yen Bonds to Support AI Expansion

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has raised 576.5 billion yen ($3.6 billion) through a yen-denominated bond sale, marking the largest bond issuance ever completed by a foreign company in Japan. The landmark deal...

Applied Materials Forecasts Strong Q3 Revenue as AI Chip Demand Accelerates

Applied Materials posted record fiscal second-quarter revenue on Thursday and issued a stronger-than-expected forecast for the third quarter, fueled by rising global investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure and...

Anthropic Nears $30 Billion Funding Round at $900 Billion Valuation

AI startup Anthropic is reportedly close to securing a massive $30 billion fundraising deal that would value the company at approximately $900 billion, according to a Financial Times report published Friday. The new...

Nvidia’s China AI Chip Sales Remain Frozen Despite U.S. Approval

Nvidias efforts to expand AI chip sales in China remain stalled even after the U.S. approved several Chinese technology giants to purchase the companys H200 processors. Although around 10 Chinese firms, including Alibaba,...