Holds

• Il Buriram United ha sconfitto il Johor Darul Ta'zim per 3-1 nella partita di andata delle semifinali dell'ASEAN Club Championship la scorsa settimana. • Il club thailandese affronta la gara di ritorno di mercoledì con un vantaggio di due gol, sfruttando l'attuale predominio mentale nei confronti diretti. • Questo scontro evidenzia l'intensa rivalità nel calcio tra club del sud-est asiatico, con il Buriram che punta ad avanzare verso la finale.

• Il calo della spesa con carta di credito ad aprile, in particolare per i viaggi, suggerisce che i britannici si stiano preparando a tempi più difficili a causa delle ripercussioni della guerra in Iran • Le famiglie hanno ridotto le proprie spese ad aprile al ritmo più rapido degli ultimi 18 mesi, poiché il conflitto in Medio Oriente ha alimentato i timori di un'altra crisi del costo della vita, secondo un rapporto di una delle più grandi banche del Regno Unito. • Barclays, che gestisce quasi il 40% delle transazioni con carte di credito e debito nel Regno Unito, ha dichiarato che i suoi dati mostrano un calo dello 0,1% della spesa con carta lo scorso mese rispetto all'anno precedente. Si è trattato del primo calo su base annua dal novembre 2024. Continua a leggere...

• Un sondaggio di PwC riporta un rapido calo della fiducia dei consumatori, con persone preoccupate per l'impatto della guerra in Iran sull'economia e sulle finanze personali • Le famiglie britanniche si stanno preparando a una nuova crisi del costo della vita, poiché l'impatto del conflitto in Medio Oriente smorza la fiducia nell'economia e nelle finanze personali, secondo quanto suggerito da un sondaggio. • La fiducia dei consumatori nel Regno Unito è scesa negli ultimi tre mesi al ritmo più rapido dal giugno 2022, quando l'inflazione nel Regno Unito stava impennando a causa dell'invasione dell'Ucraina da parte della Russia e del picco dei prezzi delle materie prime. Continua a leggere...

• L'FOMC ha annunciato in data 10 maggio 2026 che manterrà invariato il tasso dei federal funds al 5,25-5,50%, in linea con le aspettative del mercato mentre prosegue il monitoraggio dell'inflazione. • Il presidente della Fed, Jerome Powell, terrà una conferenza stampa alle 14:30 ET per discutere della decisione e delle prospettive economiche. • Questo rappresenta l'ultimo di una serie di mantenimenti dei tassi, riflettendo un approccio cauto per bilanciare la crescita e la stabilità dei prezzi nell'economia degli Stati Uniti.

• Il Primo Ministro del Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, ha lasciato Miami domenica mattina dopo gli incontri con l'inviato di Trump Steve Witkoff e il Segretario di Stato Marco Rubio, focalizzati sulla fine della guerra con l'Iran. • La delegazione ha discusso gli ultimi sviluppi regionali e gli sforzi di mediazione pakistani volti alla de-escalation, mentre il cessate il fuoco tra Stati Uniti e Iran, in vigore da un mese, rimane fragile ma intatto. • Il Presidente Trump ha dichiarato sabato di "aspettarsi notizie molto presto" dalle autorità iraniane riguardo all'ultima proposta di pace degli Stati Uniti, con i negoziati ancora in corso.

All'inizio del cessate il fuoco, Zelenskyy afferma: ‘La Piazza Rossa è meno importante per noi della vita dei prigionieri ucraini che possono essere riportati a casa’

• U.S. gas prices have surged recently, hitting lower-income Americans the hardest amid ongoing economic pressures from geopolitical tensions including the Iran conflict. • The New York Times reports that the price spike exacerbates inequality, with lower-income consumers facing steeper relative burdens on household budgets. • President Trump's claim that the U.S. won the war with Iran has drawn scrutiny, potentially influencing energy markets and public sentiment on fuel costs.

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the Vatican on Thursday for 2½ hours to discuss Middle East peace efforts. • The visit aims to mend fences following President Donald Trump's recent public criticisms of the Pope over Iran policy. • Rubio focused on achieving a durable peace amid ongoing U.S. pressures on Tehran, including a naval blockade and peace proposal.

• The U.S. Federal Reserve maintained its federal funds rate in the 3.50%-3.75% range at its April 2026 policy meeting. • Decision balances heightened inflation uncertainty, a softening labor market, and geopolitical risks from the Middle East. • Markets remain volatile under President Trump due to tariffs, tax policies, oil price swings, and conflicts, yet stocks have held steady overall.

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s authority to recommend no-cost preventive services under the Affordable Care Act. • The decision overturned a district judge’s injunction that had blocked the administration from enforcing grant flow restorations related to the task force. • The ruling preserves mandates for insurers to cover recommended screenings and vaccines without patient cost-sharing, impacting millions of Americans.

• The Federal Reserve maintained interest rates at 3.50%-3.75% last week, citing continued economic expansion but persistent inflation linked to energy prices. • Inflation remains elevated with PCE price index up slightly in March to 3.5% year-over-year. • Decision supports market optimism, contributing to S&P 500 nearing its January record high despite Middle East risks.

• The Federal Reserve maintained interest rates unchanged at its latest meeting but signaled a more hawkish stance, shifting investor sentiment regarding future policy direction. • Tech sector earnings continued to show strong numbers, though stock market reactions remained mixed, with the S&P 500 rising 1% for the week as equities powered through higher oil prices and a backup in yields. • Fed Chair Jerome Powell announced he will not retire after his term ends next month, committing to serve as a constructive governor rather than a shadow Fed chair.

Consumer insight tracker shows 85% are worried about food prices and a majority think the economy will deteriorateThree million UK households are being forced to skip meals as consumers resort to drastic measures to deal with rising costs, according to a Which? report published on Thursday.The conflict in the Middle East and subsequent surge in oil and raw material prices has led to businesses preparing to raise prices, putting more pressure on household finances and hitting consumer confidence. Continue reading...

• The Federal Reserve voted to leave the benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5% to 3.75% on Wednesday, citing concerns about inflation rising amid the war in Iran. • This marks the continuation of the Fed's pause in rate adjustments following three successive 25-basis-point cuts in September, October, and December 2025. • Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to hold a press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss the decision, marking what could be his final interest-rate announcement as Federal Reserve chair.

Brussels will relax state aid rules to allow member countries to offer ‘targeted and temporary’ supportEurope live – latest updatesThe EU will cut electricity taxes and provide consumers with fresh incentives to ditch fuel-burning cars and boilers, the European Commission has announced, as the Iran war energy crisis speeds a shift to a clean economy.The plan, which foresees tweaking rules so that electricity is taxed less than oil and gas, aims to bring down bills while encouraging the move away from polluting devices that prolong reliance on foreign fuels. Continue reading...

Human rights groups have warned that the collective prosecutions violate due process and block defendants from accessing legal counselA Salvadoran court on Tuesday began a collective trial of 486 alleged gang members, in one of the biggest mass trials under president Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on gang violence through controversial emergency powers.Prosecutors say the charges against alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, or MS-13, span more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, including a weekend that was El Salvador’s bloodiest since its civil war. Continue reading...

Government looks to rush through laws allowing pavement ‘charging gullies’ to help boost EV take-up and cut dependence on fossil fuelsUK to appeal against tax ruling cutting VAT on public EV chargers to 5%Households without off-street parking could soon be able to charge their electric vehicles from home under new government plans to help households cut their need for expensive fossil fuels.The government has promised to pass legislation this summer that will allow motorists to run power cables through a charging “gully” built into the pavement outside their home without the need for planning permission. Continue reading...

• US stocks demonstrated resilience amid Iran geopolitical tensions and high energy prices, with the S&P 500 up nearly 2% year-to-date by April 14, just 1% below its January 27 all-time high. • The index's maximum drawdown stayed under 10%, cushioned by forward earnings estimates growing at a 17% annual rate despite a 20% drop in P/E ratios. • S&P 500 profit margins hit new highs around 15% in early April, driven by broad fundamentals including AI and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act effects, not just energy sector gains.

• Netflix reported earnings that missed analyst estimates, yet broader market indices maintained record highs as investor focus remained on Iran ceasefire developments and energy market normalization. • The streaming giant's earnings disappointment was overshadowed by positive sentiment around geopolitical deescalation and reduced energy price pressures benefiting the wider market. • Market participants are weighing mixed corporate earnings results against macro-level improvements in global risk sentiment and supply chain stability.

Analysis by IFS shows George Osborne’s mortgage schemes launched in 2013 had little effect on social mobilityHigher-income households were the biggest beneficiaries of George Osborne’s Help to Buy mortgage schemes, introduced in the 2010s, according to an analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank.Launched by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government in 2013, Help to Buy involved two separate schemes aimed at making home ownership more achievable in a period of rapid house price growth. Continue reading...

Weakened economic activity, soaring fuel prices and rising inflation have created a horror scenario, RBA deputy governor saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAndrew Hauser, the Reserve Bank of Australia’s deputy governor, says the “stagflationary shock” from the Iran war is a “central banker’s nightmare”, as confidence among Australian households crashed to its lowest level in years.Speaking at an event in New York on Tuesday morning AEST, Hauser said the RBA was “judging the balance” between the damage to the economy from “a big income shock” associated with soaring fuel prices, versus a sharp rise in inflation. Continue reading...

Incentives to absorb surplus wind and solar energy could help balance the grid and lower billsThe UK needs more North Sea gas, not greater reliance on US imports | Nils PratleyHouseholds will be called on to boost their consumption of Great Britain’s record renewable energy this summer to help balance the power grid and lower energy bills.Under the new plans, people could be encouraged to run dishwashers and washing machines or charge up their electric vehicles when there is more wind and solar power than the electricity grid needs. Continue reading...

Stunning loss of rightwing populist in Hungary carries symbolic and psychological significance for US politicsFor US Democrats seeking rays of light in the dark landscape of Donald Trump’s authoritarian onslaught, illumination has arrived from the unlikely source of Budapest.Viktor Orbán’s stunning defeat in Hungary’s general election – ending 16 years of unbroken rule for his governing Fidesz party – carries symbolic and psychological significance for American politics out of all proportion to the central European country’s modest size and distance from the US. Continue reading...

Resolution Foundation says households face rising costs from higher bills for energy and filling upHigher energy prices as a result of the Iran war are likely to deal a blow to Britons’ living standards, leaving them nearly £500 worse off this year, a thinktank has warned.The Resolution Foundation said households faced rising costs from both higher gas and electricity bills and at the petrol pump. Continue reading...

As president Patrice Talon steps down after a decade, the west African country’s finance minister is favourite to winThis Sunday, just four months after a failed coup, Benin heads to the polls for a presidential election that feels more like a coronation than a contest.Patrice Talon, the businessman turned politician who has been president since 2016, is ineligible to run again after serving two five-year terms. Continue reading...

Catherine King says while peace talks were ‘best chance’ at lowering fuel prices, further help may be included in budgetFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesTrack Australia’s fuel prices, service station outages and shipments in chartsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government is contemplating further relief for struggling households and businesses in next month’s federal budget, as peace talks continue between the US and Iran amid a fragile ceasefire.The infrastructure minister, Catherine King, said the success of those talks was the “best chance” at bringing down fuel prices. But she warned there would be a “long tail” from the crisis even if the strait of Hormuz – which was still being blocked by Iran and strangling global oil supplies – reopened imminently. Continue reading...

• US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on April 8, 2026, ending 38 days of intense conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran involving major military exchanges. • Iran maintained leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route, while the US pushed Iran to negotiations based on Tehran's 10-point framework against Washington's 15-point demands on nuclear activity and regional influence. • Israel rejected parts of the ceasefire scope and continued operations in Lebanon, prompting Iran to warn of withdrawal if attacks persist, highlighting the truce's precarious nature amid high regional tensions.

Beijing’s powerbrokers are being credited with winning Iran over, although one analyst says they were ‘pushing an open door’Middle East crisis – live updatesAs the world struggles to make sense of what, if anything, was achieved by the ceasefire deal announced by the US and Iran on Tuesday, one major power that stands to win regardless is China.Beijing’s powerbrokers are being credited with pushing Iran towards agreeing to the ceasefire, bolstering its status as a regional mediator. In China’s tightly censored domestic media, articles basking in the glory of China being the grown-up in the room at a time of international crisis were allowed to circulate. Continue reading...