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

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Economy

Fri, May 15, 2026 10:52 PM 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...

Asian Currencies Slide as Strong U.S. Data Boosts Dollar and Fed Rate Hike Expectations

Asian currencies weakened on Friday as stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data pushed the dollar higher and reinforced market expectations that the Federal Reserve could maintain a hawkish monetary policy stance through...

Japan Inflation Outlook: Firms Eye Summer Price Hikes Amid Rising Energy Costs

Japan could experience another wave of widespread price increases this summer as companies respond to surging energy costs linked to tensions in the Middle East, according to a Bank of Japan (BOJ) report released Friday....

US Expects China to Boost Purchases of American Farm Products After Trump-Xi Summit

The United States expects China to commit to purchasing double-digit billions worth of U.S. agricultural products following a high-level summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing,...

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...

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....

US Hosts Israel-Lebanon Talks as Ceasefire Deadline Nears

The United States described the latest Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington as productive and positive as diplomats pushed to prevent renewed escalation ahead of a fragile ceasefire deadline. U.S. officials confirmed that...

Pentagon Halts Planned U.S. Troop Deployment to Poland Amid Europe Force Review

The Pentagon has reportedly canceled plans to temporarily deploy 4,000 U.S.-based troops to Poland, according to two U.S. officials, raising fresh concerns over the future of American military presence in Europe under...

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

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,...

Alibaba Stock Surges After Strong Q4 Earnings Boosted by AI and Cloud Growth

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (HK:9988) saw its Hong Kong-listed shares jump sharply on Thursday after the Chinese e-commerce and technology giant reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings driven by strong momentum in...

SoftBank Shares Slide Despite Record Q4 Profit Fueled by OpenAI Investment

SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) shares dropped sharply on Thursday despite the company reporting blockbuster fourth-quarter earnings, as investors grew increasingly concerned about the Japanese tech giants expanding...