Crude oil whipsawed on production and stockpiles reports, while Asian stocks followed US and European equities lower before an expected interest-rate hike by Federal Reserve policy makers.
WTI jumped above US$48 a barrel as a reported decline in US crude stockpiles countered a boost in output from Saudi Arabia, reversing an earlier plunge of as much as 2.7 per cent. Brent crude is also up, above $51 a barrel. Stocks were lower from Sydney to Tokyo, while the US dollar weakened after Tuesday’s gains. Hong Kong shares pared losses as Chinese premier Li Keqiang said China is pushing hard to cut financial risk and there are bright prospects for cooperation with the US The yield on 10-year Treasuries remained near 2.6 percent.
The swings in oil interrupted the calm that’s gripped markets ahead of central bank decisions, European political drama and a raft of economic data that could set the tone for financial markets for weeks to come. With the Fed all but certain to raise rates, investors have been weighing how oil’s precarious level and looming inflation readings could impact the central bank’s path for future moves.
Volatility is rising this week, with the VIX in the US jumping the most in a month on Tuesday, while a gauge for the Nikkei 225 Index is up for a fourth straight day. Elections remain a wild card for investors. Today’s vote in the Netherlands will deliver a reading on the state of populism in Europe as races in France and Germany heat up.
US trading was more muted than normal on Tuesday as a late-winter storm blanketed the eastern part of the country in snow. Airlines canceled thousands of flights, wholesale power prices surged and natural gas futures gained as the storm spun up the Atlantic coast.
* Bloomberg
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Company%20Profile
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Honeymoonish
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5