Futures Rise, Oil Drops As Markets Ignore Latest Middle East Airstrikes

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Iran has humiliated the US during the negotiating process. The US and Iran have held a round of talks and exchanged messages through Pakistan, but have been unable to reach an agreement.  “The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilful at not negotiating, letting the […]

1 In 30 Koreans Margin-Called As Kospi Crashes, Regulator Suspends New Levered ETFs, Hikes Margins For the first time in over three years, South Korea’s central bank raised its policy interest rate by 0.25% points to 2.75%, inline with expectations, and kicking off a monetary tightening cycle aimed at containing inflationary pressures spurred by the AI-driven semiconductor boom. It also helped spark a fresh rout in Korean stocks whose daily volatility has become borderline farcical with daily 5% swings having become the norm.  The move on Thursday was the Bank of...