Stock markets in Asia fell while safe-haven assets such as U.S. Treasurys, the yen and the Swiss franc rose sharply after Israel launched a retaliatory strike against Iran early Friday.
The yen, which is traditionally seen as a safe-haven currency, briefly strengthened to around 153.55 against the dollar after reports of Israeli strikes against Iran but weakened back to around 154.30.
Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing fell sharply as investors’ worries about the chip maker’s cautious outlook for the industry eclipsed its upbeat first-quarter financial results.
A U.S.-backed railway connecting Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo is part of a pushback against China’s Belt and Road initiative in Africa. The $1.7 billion Lobito Corridor project aims to secure vital mineral supply chains.
The Nikkei Stock Average was likely to have hit a bottom after a sharp fall triggered in part by growing Iran-Israel tensions, said Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management.
Ten years after the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls became a global phenomenon, most are back home—and Nigeria’s epidemic of abductions is only getting worse.
China is moving to make it more expensive for U.S. shipments of a key industrial chemical to enter the Chinese market, shortly after Washington called for higher tariffs on Chinese steel.
Israel has signaled it would retaliate against Iran’s drone and missile attack on its territory, a move that would threaten to push the countries deeper into an escalatory spiral that could lead to a regional war.
U.S. stocks ended mixed, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq falling 0.2% and 0.5%, respectively, and the Dow eking out a gain of less than 0.1%. Treasury yields rose.
Schneider Electric is in talks to take control of the engineering-software company Bentley Systems in a deal that could be valued at more than $15 billion.
Mortgage rates have surged past 7% and home sales in March posted their biggest monthly drop in more than a year, renewing pressure on the U.S. housing market as uncertainty over real-estate commissions buffets the industry.
TSMC is reshaping its business to respond to the artificial-intelligence boom, including doubling capacity for a type of chip technology in demand from companies like Nvidia.
A congressional investigation found that Wall Street used billions of dollars of U.S. retirement savings and other investments to buy shares in index funds that included more than five dozen blacklisted Chinese companies.
The Biden administration is pushing for a long-shot diplomatic deal in the coming months that presses Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel to accept a new commitment to Palestinian statehood in exchange for diplomatic recognition by Riyadh.
The U.S. ambassador to Russia visited Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter being held in Moscow, as negotiations continue behind closed doors to secure his release.
A senior Iranian official warned that Iran could work on building nuclear weapons if Israel attacks its nuclear facilities, a new escalation in threats by the two sides.
More aid has been entering Gaza through the south of the enclave and a newly opened crossing in the north, but relief workers said it is inadequate to avert a looming famine.
A 12-person jury was picked to decide Trump’s fate in his hush-money case, setting the stage for the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president to kick off in earnest next week.
Congress is fast-tracking a bipartisan effort to crack down on TikTok that could lead to passage of a law this month forcing a sale or eventual ban of the Chinese-controlled app in the U.S.