International Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.I’ve questioned before whether Wall Street has the temperament for the artificial-intelligence (AI) era. It’s hard to argue it does when just one report from the Wall Street Journal, which suggested OpenAI had missed some internal growth targets, was enough to wipe billions of dollars of value off related stocks. For a moment on Tuesday, you’d have thought the sky was falling on the AI boom.It wasn’t, of course, and some of the initial shock losses were pared once OpenAI had struck a reassuring tone in a statement that said it was still “firing on all cylinders.”Still, the knee-jerk reaction was an indication of how closely the fate of OpenAI is tied to perception of the AI industry’s future.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Last month, France did something that would have been unimaginable a few years ago; certainly before the outbreak of the Ukraine war, when US-led sanctions cut Russia off from the Swift payment system, the main messaging network that enables secure international financial transactions, and froze more than $300 billion of its assets. Its central bank, the Bank of France, pulled out its remaining gold reserves held in New York. Admittedly, no central bank today relies on gold to back its currency.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Kongara Ramesh is a man of many obsessions. A self taught homeopath, like scores of practitioners in India, he has treated tens of thousands, free of cost. A school dropout, he is also the creator of a handful of unique varieties of mangoes, India’s most beloved fruit.Ramesh is, what you may call, a seasoned plant breeder.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The stock of HFCL has been attracting strong investor interest over the last month.This top optical fibre cable supplier’s shares have surged from ₹70.77 to ₹106, rallying almost 50% in a month. The question now is, will the rally sustain?Let's examine the factors that will determine the stock's direction.HFCL designs, integrates, and delivers end-to-end digital network solutions that enable high-speed, secure voice and data transmission for telcos, defence, and railways.It offers advanced optical fibre solutions, open-source wireless access solutions, multiband 5G radios, and state-of-the-art system integration services.HFCL designs and delivers customised products/solutions for defence services, institutions, and the projects of national security significance.Robust execution of telecom/fibre/defence orders: HFCL gets orders frequently, but investors reward companies that convert orders into revenues on time. Fast project execution, few delays, and smooth delivery build confidence and revenue visibility.Recently, the company’s subsidiary received an order of ₹1,367 crore for optic fibre cables.Margin and profit growth: It isn’t just about revenue increase.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The expiration of electric vehicle (EV) subsidies in four key states, which together fueled over a third of India's EV sales in FY26, is creating a new hurdle for carmakers. These state-level incentives were critical in making EVs price-competitive with traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, according to a review of state policies and an industry executive aware of the matter.Worryingly for EV makers, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have also introduced fresh taxes on EVs in the past month, which experts believe could further dampen sales momentum in these markets.The developments follow a blockbuster year for the industry, with EV sales surging 84% in FY26 to nearly 200,000 units, according to data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA).Some of the country's largest electric car markets, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu, have seen their purchase subsidies for consumers end, which is expected to raise overall cost of such vehicles.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.WASHINGTON—Just weeks after President Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz “COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS” only to see ship traffic stall, the administration is now asking other countries to join a new international coalition that would enable ships to navigate the waterway.The effort, called the “Maritime Freedom Construct,” was spelled out in an internal State Department cable sent to U.S. embassies on Tuesday that called on U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Smartphone care and warranty provider Servify is looking to close a string of acquisitions to expand its service categories before it files papers for a public listing.Like several initial public offering (IPO)-bound companies, Servify has taken a step back to wait for markets to stabilise amid the ongoing war in West Asia before filing its draft papers. It joins the list of companies such as PhonePe, Curefoods, and Turtlemint that have put their public market plans on hold.“We're in the middle of some initiatives which will likely help us become a larger entity than we are currently,” company founder and chief executive Sreevathsa Prabhakar told Mint.The Mumbai-based company is pursuing acquisitions across its core smartphone care business and a luxury goods vertical launched at the end of FY25.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India currently levies a 5% basic customs duty on raw cotton imports. The government had temporarily waived this duty between 19 August and 30 September 2025, and later extended this exemption to 31 December 2025.Addressing the media on the supply-chain scenario amid the war in West Asia, Bipin Menon, trade advisor in the textiles ministry, said on Tuesday that discussions were ongoing with the ministry of agriculture and the department of revenue on reducing or eliminating customs duty on cotton.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The year 2025 proved highly significant for those tracking interest rates, as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) embarked on its most aggressive easing cycle since 2019. Over the course of four policy meetings, the central bank reduced the repo rate by a total of 1.25 percentage points, bringing it down to 5.25%.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The International Monetary Fund in its recent spring meeting abandoned its single global growth forecast. It now presents three scenarios: 3.1% growth with 4.4% inflation, 2.5% growth with 5.4% inflation, or 2% growth with inflation above 6%, depending on how long the Strait of Hormuz stays shut. The International Energy Agency has called the 2026 disruption the worst energy shock the world has ever seen.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.With global energy dependency rapidly shifting from conventional sources to nuclear power, it is natural to fear a Chernobyl or Fukushima-like incident anywhere in the world today. Human exposure to nuclear risks is also rising through genetic research in agriculture, radiation use in healthcare, and the increasing possibility of nuclear conflict.In such circumstances, a natural question arises: do our everyday insurance policies cover nuclear risks?As on date, none of the insurers in India provide coverage for nuclear exposure or related nuclear incidents.Whether personal, institutional, or commercial, almost all insurance policies exclude coverage for risks arising out of nuclear exposure or similar events.Apart from underwriting challenges due to lack of data, the core reason is structural: nuclear exposure is rarely individualistic.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.TOMBEAU BAY, Mauritius—Over centuries, the people of the remote Chagos Archipelago have been battered by forces beyond their control. Slavery.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.At its core, India’s Finance Commission (FC) is a constitutional mechanism for equalization, ensuring that differences in income across states do not translate into differences in access to basic public services. But equalization is only as effective as the information it uses. When fiscal data is incomplete or opaque, the FC’s recommendations—however well intentioned—risk misallocating resources, weakening incentives and undermining fiscal discipline.Fiscal transparency is foundational to India’s fiscal federal system.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has notified new design requirements for offshore wind turbines, blades, and tower and foundation structures, in line with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, according to two government officials aware of the development.The new standards aim to establish clear benchmarks for the design, testing and installation of key components of wind energy systems, particularly in offshore conditions where operational risks are higher.“These norms would ensure structural safety, improve quality control and enhance the reliability of wind installations,” said one of the two officials.“By aligning with IEC-based standards, the move ensures global compatibility and is expected to facilitate greater participation from international players, while supporting technology transfer and investment in the sector,” the official added.This comes as India pushes to scale up its offshore wind sector, which has an estimated potential of 70 gigawatts (GW), enough to power nearly 70 million households. The country aims to auction about 37GW of offshore capacity by 2029-30.Offshore wind projects cost around ₹15- ₹20 crore per megawatt (MW), significantly higher than ₹7- ₹8 crore per MW for onshore projects, due to the need for seabed infrastructure and transmission systems.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Wu Jingliang, a human resources manager in Beijing, got a raise at the beginning of the year, and the first financial move her family made was to increase their monthly savings rate.“I don’t dare spend, because I have a child. The child will need schooling later, and then there’s marriage or buying a home—we definitely need to save up a sum of money for him,” she told Barron’s in a phone interview.Conversations with other Chinese consumers revealed similar caution, all relating to feelings of financial insecurity.Beijing keeps rolling out consumption stimulus, and Chinese consumers keep responding with less enthusiasm than policymakers hoped.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.KUANTAN, Malaysia—The Pentagon’s push to get its hands on the rarest of the rare-earth elements leads all the way to this small port city in Malaysia.Here, Lynas Rare Earths, an Australian company, has begun pumping out heavy rare earths, the elusive kind that China dominates.“No one had made a separated heavy rare earth outside of China in 20 years,” said Amanda Lacaze, Lynas’s chief executive. The company’s chief operating officer, Pol Le Roux, said it had actually been 30 years.When China cut off exports of heavy rare-earth elements during trade tensions last year, automobile factories in the U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Chasing autumn in South Korea, Bengaluru-based Jiwangi Singh and Milan Tanna turned their K-drama dreams into a thoughtfully planned 12-day holiday.When narrowing down their next international trip, the couple wanted a destination that blended culture, coastal charm and immersive local experiences—without stretching their budget. South Korea checked all the boxes.They spent a total of ₹2.75 lakh, striking a balance between smart savings and meaningful splurges.“We built our itinerary to save where it mattered and spend on must-do experiences.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) is likely to begin groundwork next month on India’s first greenfield shipyard by a global shipbuilder, entailing an investment of ₹40,000 crore, according to two people aware of the development.The company, part of South Korea’s HD Hyundai Group, is expected to sign a definitive investment agreement with the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government after the ongoing state elections to set up a mega manufacturing facility at the Thoothukudi shipbuilding cluster, the people cited earlier said on condition of anonymity. The investment pact follows a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on 7 December 2025 by HD Hyundai with the Tamil Nadu government for the shipyard.HD KSOE is likely to invest about ₹40,000 crore in the project in phases, which is expected to have an annual production capacity of 3.5 million gross tonnage (GT).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—President Trump scrapped a trip by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran, leaving himself tough choices over how to force Iran to make concessions the White House wants to strike a deal.Trump said on Saturday that he had decided to cancel the trip after receiving an offer from Iran that fell short of the White House’s expectations.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Meta Platforms just offered a glimpse at what it thinks the future of work looks like: training and supervising artificial-intelligence systems to do what used to be your job. And that’s if you still have a job at all.The social-media company has been unusually aggressive, even by the standards of Silicon Valley, at pushing to incorporate AI into its employees’ workflows and using it to streamline and accelerate its operations.Already this year, it has started grading employees in performance reviews on their AI use; created ultraflat teams with almost no managers; and begun to develop a so-called CEO agent to assist Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg in performing his job.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s international air travel fell to a four-year low in March as the West Asia conflict disrupted key routes, with Air India Express emerging as the worst-hit among local carriers.The low-cost carrier of Air India, which has a heavy exposure to the region, recorded the steepest decline. Its departures plunged 68% to 1,263 in March from 3,928 a year ago.