The U.S. dollar is strengthening again, adding another important variable to an already complicated global-market environment. On September 14, the dollar climbed to a two-week high as investors responded to higher inflation expectations, elevated bond yields, geopolitical uncertainty and growing expectations that the…

Artificial intelligence has been one of the most powerful investment themes driving global stock markets in recent years. Semiconductor companies, cloud providers, data-centre operators and large technology businesses have invested enormous amounts of capital in the expectation that AI will transform how businesses an…

Global energy markets are facing a fresh supply concern after Saudi Arabia temporarily shut its strategically important East-West oil pipeline following a drone attack. The pipeline matters far beyond Saudi Arabia. It carries crude from the kingdom's eastern production areas across the country to the Red Sea port of Y…

On paper, the current environment does not look particularly friendly for stocks. Crude oil is above $100 per barrel. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield has moved close to 5%. Inflation remains a concern. Markets are debating whether the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates again. Geopolitical uncertainty continues…

Gold and crude oil are sending an unusual message to global markets. Gold remains at historically elevated levels, while Brent crude has again moved above the psychologically important $100-per-barrel mark. At first glance, these two commodities appear to tell very different stories. Gold is traditionally associated w…

Global financial markets are heading into an unusually important week. Two of the world's most influential central banks—the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan —are preparing major monetary-policy decisions within days of each other. Markets are currently leaning toward a 25-basis-point Federal Reserve rate in…

Artificial intelligence remains one of the strongest forces supporting global stock markets. From semiconductors and cloud computing to data centres, networking equipment and enterprise software, companies around the world are investing billions of dollars to build AI infrastructure. At the same time, another powerful…

When investors think about the forces moving global stock markets, attention usually turns first to the U.S. Federal Reserve, Wall Street, oil prices or economic growth. But another central bank is increasingly becoming important for global markets: the Bank of Japan. Japan spent decades operating with extremely low—a…

Global financial markets are facing an uncomfortable combination: crude oil above $100 a barrel and U.S. Treasury yields hovering close to 5%. Either of these developments can influence financial markets on its own. When they happen together, however, the impact can spread across inflation, interest rates, currencies,…

Crude oil has once again crossed the important level of $100 per barrel. On 9 September 2026, Brent crude—the main international oil benchmark—moved above $100 amid growing concerns about Middle East supplies and disruption to important shipping routes. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, remained below Brent…