Global TradFi & Macroeconomics

WTI crude and Brent crude opened 0.4% lower on Monday (Oct 18), trading at $98.54 per barrel and $106.93 per barrel respectively.

European natural gas prices surged 2% at opening on October 18 amid escalating tensions in Ukraine. The price movement reflects rising concerns over potential supply disruptions linked to the regional conflict.

Spot gold fell over $10 on Monday's opening before paring losses, now trading at $4,161 per ounce.

According to CME's "Fed Watch" tool, as of October 19, the Federal Reserve has an 83.9% probability of maintaining rates through October, with a 16.1% chance of a 25-basis-point rate hike. For December, the probability of holding rates drops to 8.2%, while a 25-basis-point hike carries a 77.3% proba

New Zealand's September exports declined to NZD 6.47 billion from NZD 6.66 billion in August, according to official statistics. The month-on-month decline of NZD 190 million represents a 2.9% decrease in export

New Zealand's trade deficit widened to NZD 1.971 billion in September from NZD 1.349 billion in August, marking a deterioration of NZD 622 million month-on-month.

New Zealand's imports reached NZ$8.44 billion in September, up from NZ$8.0 billion in the previous month, according to trade data.

New Zealand's trade deficit widened to NZ$6.175 billion in September (12-month cumulative), deteriorating from NZ$5.442 billion in the prior period.

Turkey's Energy Minister announced on Sunday that the country will deploy a second floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) production platform in the first quarter of 2028, increasing daily gas output in the Black Sea region to approximately 45 million cubic

Anthropic, an AI firm preparing for a public listing, pledged about 20% of its shares to a public benefit fund meant to support research, gifts, and distributions. The commitments center on personal pledges from the company's seven co-founders to donate 80% of their personal equity to charity, an

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reported record third-quarter revenue of NT$1,494.24 billion (approximately $46.72 billion) on October 15, 2026, representing a 50.9% increase from a year earlier. The record performance was driven by surging demand for high-performance computing

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reported record third-quarter revenue of approximately $46.72 billion on October 15, 2026, up 50.9% year over year. Net income hit a record $23.59 billion, a 68.7% increase from the same period last year. High-performance computing, covering AI accelerators

The EUR/GBP exchange rate dropped to 0.84 today, declining 0.38% during the trading session.

According to Jin10, on October 19 at market open, EUR/USD fell 0.4% to 1.1190, while the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) rose 0.25% to 102.04.

Iran's military and foreign minister issued conflicting statements on the Strait of Hormuz as Brent crude traded near $110 per barrel ahead of Sunday's futures reopening. Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said on Friday that Hormuz would reopen if American forces withdrew from the

According to Reuters, Brent crude settled Friday, October 16, at $109.86 per barrel, its highest settlement since May 19, after gaining $3.94 or 3.7% for the day. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $3.44 or 3.5% to $101.41. On October 18, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian media

Grok AI predicts XRP could rise to $4.25 by the end of 2026 in a full bull market scenario. This prediction comes as XRP Ledger activity accelerates, with active addresses surging 84% to 43,543 in August and September, while daily payments exceeded 2.6 million. The network growth coincides with

According to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, a tanker hit a mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz on October 19, causing an engine compartment explosion and fire. The vessel had disabled its navigation and identification systems and violated maritime regulations by attempting to

US Stock Market News indicates the market will be open on Monday, October 19, 2026, with no special trading holidays scheduled for October. The week of October 19–23 will be heavily driven by major large-cap quarterly earnings reports including META, Tesla, Netflix, American Airlines, and defense

According to ChainCatcher, the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) will open its tokenization service for commercial access this month, covering approximately $30 trillion in assets held under DTC custody—about one-quarter of its total assets under custody. The service will initially ru