Oil futures have seen their biggest weekly drop in nearly two months as news swirled of a potential US-Iran deal that could see the Strait of Hormuz reopened and a ceasefire extended between Washington and Tehran.
Brent oil crude futures fell to $92.69 a barrel, a weekly drop of more than 10 percent.
(Sept 13, 2023)
At the Private and Public Sector Entity Levels. (In trillions of U.S. dollars)
PRIVATE SECTOR:
Households 121.9
Nonprofits 8.6
Noncorporate businesses 17.2
Total U.S. Private Sector 147.7
PUBLIC SECTOR:
Federal government – 21.3
State and local government 11.5
Total U.S. Public Sector – 9.8
Instrument discrepancies – 1.1
TOTAL U.S. WEALTH 136.8
(Apr 21, 2026, 06:28:31 AM IST)
Asian stocks edged higher as signs Iran may join talks with the US fostered cautious optimism about progress in the Middle East ahead of a looming ceasefire deadline. Oil dropped.
The UK‘s main stock indexes dipped on Monday in broad-based losses as fears that the U.S.-Iran ceasefire could collapse weighed on sentiment.
The U.S. seized an Iranian cargo ship and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained largely halted, sending crude oil prices more than 5% higher.
Oil prices dropped sharply and US stocks surged Friday after the Iranian foreign minister said the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely open” for commercial transit during the remainder of the ceasefire.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell 11.2%, to just below $88.25 per barrel. WTI, the US benchmark, sank 10.9% to $81.20 per barrel. Oil prices traded at their lowest levels in five weeks.
In comments first reported by state media, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told EU Council president António Costa that Iran has „the necessary will to end this war“ but expects certain guarantees in exchange.
Pezeshkian also said on Monday that any end to the war in the Middle East must „guarantee the security and interests of the Iranian people,“ according to comments first published by the state news agency IRNA and reported by regional media.
(March 24, 2026)
The world saves in dollars in large part because it pays in dollars. The dollar‘s dominance in cross-border trade is arguably built on the petrodollar: globally traded oil is priced and invoiced in USD. This arrangement can be traced to a deal struck in 1974 where Saudi Arabia agreed to price oil in USD and invest surpluses in USD assets, in exchange for US security guarantees. Because oil is a core input to global manufacturing and transport, there is a natural incentive for global value chains to dollarize, and global surpluses to accumulate in USD.
The foundations of the petrodollar regime have been under pressure even before this conflict. Most Middle East oil is now sold to Asia not the US; sanctioned oil from Russia and Iran has already been trading off dollar rails; Saudi Arabia has been localizing defence, and experimenting with forms of non-dollar payment infrastructure such as Project mBridge.
The current conflict may expose further fault lines, by challenging the US security umbrella for Gulf infrastructure and the maritime security for global trade in oil. Damage to Gulf economies could encourage an unwind in their foreign asset savings held largely in dollars. In this context, reports that the passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz may be granted in exchange for oil payments in yuan should be closely followed. The conflict could be remembered as a key catalyst for erosion in petrodollar dominance, and the beginnings of the petroyuan.
The petrodollar helps keep borrowing costs down for US consumers and Washington, giving them big advantages over peers
(…)
Traders reportedly placed $580 million in oil bets minutes before Donald Trump‘s post on Iran talks, triggering sharp moves in crude and stocks and raising questions over the timing of the trades
Geldschöpfung ist, wenn Banken Geld herstellen und so mehr Geld in Umlauf bringen.
(July 7, 2025)
Here’s what really happens when you get a loan from a bank:
– The bank doesn’t go into a vault and hand you someone else’s cash.
– The bank creates new money right then and there, by typing numbers into your account.
That’s right: Most of the money in our economy didn’t exist until someone took out a loan!
(January 16, 2025)
The very richest Americans are among the biggest winners from President Joe Biden’s time in office, despite his farewell address warning of an “oligarchy” and a “tech industrial complex” that threaten US democracy.
The 100 wealthiest Americans got more than $1.5 trillion richer over the last four years, with tech tycoons including Elon Musk, Larry Ellison and Mark Zuckerberg leading the way, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The top 0.1% gained more than $6 trillion, Federal Reserve estimates through September show.
(Sept 13, 2023)
At the Private and Public Sector Entity Levels. (In trillions of U.S. dollars)
PRIVATE SECTOR:
Households 121.9
Nonprofits 8.6
Noncorporate businesses 17.2
Total U.S. Private Sector 147.7
PUBLIC SECTOR:
Federal government – 21.3
State and local government 11.5
Total U.S. Public Sector – 9.8
Instrument discrepancies – 1.1
TOTAL U.S. WEALTH 136.8
The Stock Exchange of Thailand Index jumped more than 3% on Monday after election results showed the Bhumjaithai Party was in command in forming a new coalition government.
Other markets across Asia also advanced, with South Korea‘s Kospi surging 4% and some other benchmarks gaining more than 1%.
U.S. futures edged higher after the U.S. stock market roared back on Friday as technology stocks recovered much of their losses from earlier in the week and bitcoin halted its plunge.
The S&P 500 rallied 2% for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,206 points, or 2.5%, and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.2%.
In a Truth Social post later in the day, Trump called the threatened tariffs off and announced a “framework” for a deal concerning the island, but offered few details about an agreement.
Crucial Quote
“I think it puts everybody in a really good position especially as it pertains to security and minerals and everything else,” Trump told reporters.
Trump was met with loud applause as he took the stage for what many billed as the most closely watched speech of this year’s Davos.
He opened by saying it was good to see so many friends and “some enemies,” drawing laughter from the crowd. From there, he leaned heavily into self-assessment, describing himself as the most successful president and pointing to what he said were his major achievements accomplished in just one year….
(July 8, 2015)
In der Hierarchie unter den „Systemrelevanten“ herrscht Unruhe. Statt den Demokratien Europas fällt nun ein Sack Aktienkurse in China die Treppe runter. Eine kurze Erläuterung.
Zur Zeit fallen an den Geldmärkten in China die Aktienkurse. Vom schlimmsten Crash der Geldhändler seit 2007 ist die Rede. Offensichtlich ist dabei den Wenigsten unter 7 Milliarden KundInnen bewusst, dass dies im Zusammenhang mit dem nun auch für chinesische „Investoren“ flöten gehenden Abbaugebiet namens „Eurozone“ zu sehen ist.
Die Geldhändler-Seite „Bloomberg“ erläuterte diesbezüglich immerhin, dass der chinesische Premier Li Keqiang bei seinem Besuch in Brüssel Ende Juni 2015 auf „einen starken Euro und ein vereinigtes Europa“ drängte. Warum er das tat, will den Menschen so recht keiner erklären, jedenfalls keiner der Populären.
Über die Rolle dieser „Volksrepublik“ bei der systemischen Zersetzung und Entstaatlichung der Demokratien im Einflussbereich der „Europäischen Union“ und des Finanzsystems „Euro“ schrieb ich im Juli 2011:
„Dieser nach Strategie zwei und drei der von Noam Chomsky „Zehn Stragien der Manipulation“ geführte Staatsstreich von Banken, „Europäischer Union“ und „Internationalem Währungfonds“ gegen die als beliebige Konkursmasse der Alten Weltordnung betrachteten Staaten des Alten Europas, findet übrigens in der neuen Tributzone Amerikas, in China, eine sowohl verschwiegene, wie äußerst effektive Unterstützung. China strebt, entsprechend der hier bereits umschriebenen Vier Zonen der Ökonomie, von der Rolle der Handelszone (niedrige Währung, niedrige Löhne, niedriger Lebensstandard) auf zur Tributzone Amerikas.“
However, this year‘s Davos forum may be shaping up to be one of the most confrontational and divisive in its history. Inviting Trump reflects the expectation that he will be confronted with a broad international consensus – that economic globalization is an irreversible force. The US delegation, however, may come with a different agenda: to promote economic nationalism and argue that the existing globalization model no longer aligns with core US interests, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.
In currency markets, the euro recovered from an early dip to rise 0.3% to $1.1628, while sterling clawed its way back up to $1.3389.
The dollar eased 0.4% against the Swiss franc to 0.7988 francs, and 0.2% against the yen to 157.80.
As he planned for his death, Jeffrey Epstein listed powerful friends and associates from Wall Street as the people who would take care of his affairs.
Versions of Epstein‘s will released Tuesday by the Justice Department featured former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, former Barclays CEO Jes Staley, and former Bear Stearns CEO Jimmy Cayne as potential executors of his estate.
Eine erste Irritation im Umgang zwischen der DKP und der GLS-Bank trat im September auf. Eine Mitarbeiterin der GLS-Bank bat „dringend“ um „Informationen zu der Nutzung“ der Konten. Sie präzisierte in ihrer Mail: „Insbesondere benötige ich Informationen zu der Spendenaktion für Kuba.“ Die DKP stellte alle gewünschten Angaben fristgerecht zur Verfügung, erhielt aber auch auf Nachfrage, wozu die Informationen benötigt werden, keine Antwort. Stattdessen erfolgte die schriftliche Kündigung der DKP-Konten zum 31. Dezember. Danach waren die Verantwortlichen der Bank für die DKP nicht mehr zu sprechen.
(March 26, 2025)
The letter was organized by the Responsible Wealth Project in coordination with Americans for Tax Fairness and Voices for Progress, according to reports.
The group sent out a similar letter to Congress in 2022. A group of wealthy Americans also sent a letter to presidential candidates in 2020 urging them to tax the ultra-wealthy more for the benefit of most Americans.
(January 16, 2025)
The very richest Americans are among the biggest winners from President Joe Biden’s time in office, despite his farewell address warning of an “oligarchy” and a “tech industrial complex” that threaten US democracy.
The 100 wealthiest Americans got more than $1.5 trillion richer over the last four years, with tech tycoons including Elon Musk, Larry Ellison and Mark Zuckerberg leading the way, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The top 0.1% gained more than $6 trillion, Federal Reserve estimates through September show.
(Sept 13, 2023)
At the Private and Public Sector Entity Levels. (In trillions of U.S. dollars)
PRIVATE SECTOR:
Households 121.9
Nonprofits 8.6
Noncorporate businesses 17.2
Total U.S. Private Sector 147.7
PUBLIC SECTOR:
Federal government – 21.3
State and local government 11.5
Total U.S. Public Sector – 9.8
Instrument discrepancies – 1.1
TOTAL U.S. WEALTH 136.8
The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked President Trump‘s attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, maintaining a critical firewall for now around the central bank‘s ability to make decisions without political interference from the White House.