Currency markets
Bessent defends U.S. dollar swap lines as Iran war harms global finances
Key Points Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a social media post Friday defended the possibility of the U.S. participating in currency swaps with allies in the Persian Gulf and Asia during the Iran war. The ongoing discussions with those countries about U.S. dollar swap lines “are part of ongoing, routine conversations that @USTreasury has been […]
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South Korea economic growth roared past estimates in Q1, thanks to chips
A screen displays the closing figure of the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) inside a trading room at Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, on April 8, 2026. Hwawon Lee | Anadolu | Getty Images South Korea’s economy beat expectations in the first quarter of 2026 to record the fastest growth since mid-2020, as booming semiconductor demand offset the drag of weak public spending, central bank […]
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Asia markets open higher as Iran ceasefire extension lifts mood
Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened broadly higher Thursday, tracking U.S. stocks, which rose overnight after President Donald Trump’s extension of the Iran ceasefire helped to buoy investor sentiment, while upbeat earnings reports also lifted sentiment. Trump extended a two-week U.S. ceasefire on Tuesday, saying it was warranted due to Tehran’s “seriously […]
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Asia-Pacific markets set to fall as Trump extends Iran ceasefire but uncertainty drags on
A pedestrian looks at an electronic quotation board showing numbers of the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo on September 11, 2020. Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets were set to open broadly lower Wednesday as concerns grew that the Middle East conflict could drag on, after President Donald Trump extended a U.S. ceasefire […]
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Asia markets open higher as hopes for Iran peace talks offset Trump threat of escalation
The Tokyo Stock Exchange in January 2022. Toru Hanai | Bloomberg | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened higher Tuesday amid hopes for a resolution to the Middle East conflict, even as tensions between Iran and the U.S. continue to simmer. “Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table— […]
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‘Resumption of hostilities’: seized ship, vessel attacks push U.S.-Iran ceasefire toward brink
A person points at a page on the Marinetraffic website that shows commercial boats traffic on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian coast, in Paris on March 4, 2026. Julien De Rosa | Afp | Getty Images Fifty days into the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, tensions escalated again after clashes in […]
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Asia markets set to open higher amid renewed Iran-U.S. tensions
Currency dealers monitor exchange rates as an electronic screen (top) shows South Korea’s benchmark stock index (KOSPI) in a foreign exchange dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on March 13, 2026. Jung Yeon-je | Afp | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets were set to open higher Monday, as investors continue to keep a […]
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Asia markets open lower as fragile Middle East ceasefire tempers sentiment
Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Friday, as cautious optimism over the Middle East conflict tempered sentiment, diverging from Wall Street’s record-setting rally. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that the war in Iran “should be ending pretty soon,” reiterating rosy predictions about the end of the conflict. Hours earlier, […]
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Don’t call time on dollar dominance just yet, say analysts as ‘petroyuan’ call sparks debate
Dieter SPannknebel | Getty Images The U.S. dollar suffered in 2025 as investors embraced the “Sell America” trade, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, and the greenback was dealt a policy and fiscal credibility shock. The war in Iran has helped shore-up the dollar so far in 2026, but the future of the global reserve […]
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Asia markets open higher after hopes of U.S.-Iran deal lift Wall Street benchmarks to new records
Asia markets opened higher after Wall Street hit record levels on growing expectations of a U.S.-Iran deal to end the war. Source
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