U.S. stocks fell after President Donald Trump announced plans to resume a naval blockade against Iran and impose tolls on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
On the 13th, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 52,498.64 in New York, down 138.37 points, or 0.26%, from the previous session.
(January 16, 2025)
The very richest Americans are among the biggest winners from President Joe Bidenâs time in office, despite his farewell address warning of an âoligarchyâ and a âtech industrial complexâ 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
Wall Street rallied on Monday, with the Nasdaq climbing 3% and the Dow marking a record-high âclose after the United States and Iran struck a preliminary agreement to end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, leading to âan easing of inflation fears as crude oil prices dropped.
The deal framework â expected to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday â did not address key issues such as Tehran‘s nuclear program and the Israel-Lebanon conflict.
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 âcould collapse weighed on sentiment.
The U.S. seized an Iranian âcargo 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 âcompletely openâ 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 AntĂłnio 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)
Hereâs what really happens when you get a loan from a bank:
– The bank doesnât go into a vault and hand you someone elseâs cash.
– The bank creates new money right then and there, by typing numbers into your account.
Thatâs right: Most of the money in our economy didnât exist until someone took out a loan!
(January 16, 2025)
The very richest Americans are among the biggest winners from President Joe Bidenâs time in office, despite his farewell address warning of an âoligarchyâ and a âtech industrial complexâ 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 âframeworkâ for a deal concerning the island, but offered few details about an agreement.
Crucial Quote
âI think it puts everybody in a really good position especially as it pertains to security and minerals and everything else,â 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 yearâs Davos.
He opened by saying it was good to see so many friends and âsome enemies,â 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 âSystemrelevantenâ herrscht Unruhe. Statt den Demokratien Europas fĂ€llt nun ein Sack Aktienkurse in China die Treppe runter. Eine kurze ErlĂ€uterung.
Zur Zeit fallen an den GeldmĂ€rkten in China die Aktienkurse. Vom schlimmsten Crash der GeldhĂ€ndler seit 2007 ist die Rede. Offensichtlich ist dabei den Wenigsten unter 7 Milliarden KundInnen bewusst, dass dies im Zusammenhang mit dem nun auch fĂŒr chinesische âInvestorenâ flöten gehenden Abbaugebiet namens âEurozoneâ zu sehen ist.
Die GeldhĂ€ndler-Seite âBloombergâ erlĂ€uterte diesbezĂŒglich immerhin, dass der chinesische Premier Li Keqiang bei seinem Besuch in BrĂŒssel Ende Juni 2015 auf âeinen starken Euro und ein vereinigtes Europaâ drĂ€ngte. Warum er das tat, will den Menschen so recht keiner erklĂ€ren, jedenfalls keiner der PopulĂ€ren.
Ăber die Rolle dieser âVolksrepublikâ bei der systemischen Zersetzung und Entstaatlichung der Demokratien im Einflussbereich der âEuropĂ€ischen Unionâ und des Finanzsystems âEuroâ schrieb ich im Juli 2011:
âDieser nach Strategie zwei und drei der von Noam Chomsky âZehn Stragien der Manipulationâ gefĂŒhrte Staatsstreich von Banken, âEuropĂ€ischer Unionâ und âInternationalem WĂ€hrungfondsâ gegen die als beliebige Konkursmasse der Alten Weltordnung betrachteten Staaten des Alten Europas, findet ĂŒbrigens in der neuen Tributzone Amerikas, in China, eine sowohl verschwiegene, wie Ă€uĂerst effektive UnterstĂŒtzung. China strebt, entsprechend der hier bereits umschriebenen Vier Zonen der Ăkonomie, von der Rolle der Handelszone (niedrige WĂ€hrung, niedrige Löhne, niedriger Lebensstandard) auf zur Tributzone Amerikas.â
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.