Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian equities rose at the open after optimism that more tankers would be able to pass through the crucial Strait of Hormuz lifted gauges on Wall Street. Risk appetite was also boosted by expectations that major economies could release petroleum reserves to offset potential supply disruptions, after President Donald Trump renewed calls for allies to help safeguard the Strait of Hormuz. Threats to flows through the vital shipping lane continued to fan inflation worries as investors brace for a slate of central-bank meetings this week. We speak to Paul Dobson, Executive Editor for Asia Markets. 

Plus - President Donald Trump requested a delay to his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for about a month, saying it was important for him to remain in Washington to oversee the Iran war. "We're working on that right now. We're speaking to China. I'd love to, but because of the war, I want to be here," Trump said Monday during a White House event when asked about potentially rescheduling the high-profile summit. The meeting between the leaders of the world's two largest economies is currently set to begin later this month. We heard from Mara Rudman, Practitioner Senior Fellow at University of Virginia's Miller Center. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oil erased early gains as traders sought to gauge the impact to supply after US attacks on Iran's main export hub, another escalation in the war that's all but cut off global customers from the region's energy supplies for more than two weeks. We spoke to Steven Schoenfeld, CEO at MarketVector Indexes.

Plus - The world's top central banks convene this week facing a renewed inflation threat from the war in Iran and the possibility that they'll be forced to delay interest-rate cuts and in some cases consider hikes. Changes aren't imminent yet: The Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England are all expected to keep borrowing costs steady as they assess how much surging energy costs will feed through to consumer prices and growth. But for them and the other 18 central banks that are about to set policy — overseeing about two-thirds of the global economy in total — the tone will turn more cautious as they acknowledge the risk of another inflation shock. We heard from Diana Mousina, Deputy Chief Economist at AMP. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn on the Asia Trade. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

• In the US – a look ahead to next week’s monetary policy decision from the Federal Reserve and a focus on 3 stocks for the week ahead.
• In the UK – a look ahead to the Bank of England and European Central Bank decisions.
• In Asia – a look ahead to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian stocks followed their US peers lower in early trading Friday, with oil prices in focus on growing fears that the war in Iran will further crimp energy supplies and boost inflation. Brent oil traded near $100 a barrel as both US President Donald Trump and Iran's new supreme leader struck defiant tones, with the latter saying the Strait of Hormuz should remain shut. Preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons and threatening the Middle East is "of far greater interest and importance to me" than the cost of oil, Trump said in a social media post. For more on the market action, we spoke to Winnie Hsu, Bloomberg's Asia Equities Reporter.

And for more analysis on how the conflict in the Middle East is weighing on the equity market, we heard from Garry Evans, Head of Research Solutions at BCA Research. He spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Avril Hong on the Asia Trade.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Oil's advance showed concerns over an escalating Iran war outweighed relief offered by an emergency release of crude reserves by wealthy nations. The US plans to release 172 million barrels from its emergency oil reserve as nations around the world work to ease surging crude and fuel prices. That's part of the plan by member countries of the International Energy Agency to discharge 400 million barrels from reserves globally, its largest-ever release. For more analysis, we spoke to Mark Cranfield, Bloomberg's MLIV Strategist.

And for markets perspective on the oil story, we heard from Dilin Wu, Research Strategist at Pepperstone. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Avril Hong. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Volatility in oil prices continue to dominate the markets. The International Energy Agency proposed biggest-ever release of oil reserves the Wall Street Journal reported. Brent crude initially declined. then swung between gains and losses following WSJ report; stocks rose. Earlier in the day, the oil market was buffeted by confusion over whether the US Navy escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed that was the case in a post on social media. Later, however, the post on X was deleted. Then in a briefing with reporters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US did not escort any oil tanker through the Strait. For more on what this means for the dollar, we spoke to David Finnerty, Bloomberg's FX and Rates Strategist.

And for more analysis on the oil story, we heard from Vandana Hari, Vanda Insights Founder. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Avril Hong.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

President Donald Trump said he would waive oil-related sanctions, have the US Navy escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and predicted on Monday that the war with Iran would resolve "very soon" as he confronted mounting economic and political pressure and days of dramatic fluctuations in oil markets. The president said he didn't believe the conflict would be over this week, but insisted the operation was ahead of schedule and looked to shore up investors increasingly concerned about energy prices. He vowed bombing "at a much, much harder level" if Iran disrupted oil supplies. For more on the impact Trump's remarks had on the oil market, we spoke to Stephen Stapczynski, Bloomberg's Asia Energy Team Leader.

Plus -  Australia has granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian female soccer players who sought asylum, citing fears for their safety after the team declined to sing the national anthem during a match on the Gold Coast last week. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that the government is willing to provide similar assistance to the rest of the Iranian women's team, the Lionesses, noting that "this is a very delicate situation and it is up to them" to decide. Craig Foster is an Australian retired soccer player and a human rights activist. He spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Crude oil surged above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022 due to escalating hostilities in the Middle East and worsening strains on oil shipping, sending stocks and Treasuries lower. Brent climbed 18% to around $109 a barrel, adding to last week's 28% surge. Traders are braced for further upheaval with the Iran conflict entering a second week, major producers curbing output and traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz effectively halted. For more on how this affects the markets, we spoke to Paul Dobson, Executive Editor for Asia Markets.

Plus - what does the oil surge mean for the economies in the Asia Pacific? We heard from Qian Wang, Vanguard Group Chief APAC Economist. She spoke to Bloomberg TV hosts, Haidi Stroud-Watts and Avril Hong. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

• In the US – a look ahead to U.S CPI data, along with a focus on 3 stocks for the week ahead.
• In the UK – a look ahead to Paris nuclear talks.
• In Asia – a look ahead to legislative elections in Vietnam.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

The US-Israeli offensive against Iran has rattled energy markets, driving crude oil to multi-year highs on fears that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz may choke supplies and reignite inflation. That came as equity investors confront stretched valuations after an artificial intelligence-fueled rally pushed stocks to elevated levels. We spoke to Winnie Wu, Head of APAC Equity Strategy at Bank of America Global Research.

Plus - Goldman Sachs Natural Gas Research Head Samantha Dart says a scenario where Brent crude prices cross the 100 dollar threshold as "possible" if the Strait of Hormuz were to experience several weeks of interrupted oil flow. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Avril Hong.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.