Author: Jordan

Uncertainty remains over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran expresses dissatisfaction with Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon. Iran has accused the US and Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement, leading to the potential re-closure of the strait. US stock index futures are currently down between 0.3% and 0.4%; international oil prices have rebounded by more than 3%. Following a sharp rise in major Asia-Pacific stock markets the previous day, most markets softened today (October 9).Major European stock markets showed weakness in early trading. The pan-European STOXX 600 Index fell 0.6% to 609.68 points. The UK FTSE 100…

Keystone Property Finance has reduced rates across its fixed rate buy-to-let product ranges by up to 15 basis points. The reductions apply to its two and five-year fixed products and follow the lender’s reintroduction of fixed rates last week amid ongoing market volatility. The cuts apply across Keystone’s core products, including standard, specialist, expat, holiday let, product transfer/PT Plus, and refurb-to-let exit options. Following the reductions, standard rates now start from 3.39% up to 70% LTV with specialist rates from 3.44%. Up to 65% LTV, expat rates start from 4.74%, holiday let rates from 5.49%, product transfers from…

Haiti is gripped by a nervous countdown. The country is approaching the end of a botched political-transition process. What was supposed to put Haiti on a path back to security after a coalition of gangs seized control of Port-au-Prince, the capital, in 2024, has plunged it further into lawlessness. As The Economist went to press, it was unclear who would run Haiti after February 7th, when the transitional arrangement ends. Source link

A big question for many regular Delta Air Lines flyers is whether they should get the carrier’s Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card or apply for a general travel credit card that offers more flexibility for redeeming rewards.The quick answer for those deciding between a branded airline card like this one for Delta and a general travel card: If you fly frequently with one airline, you might get more value from an airline card, especially if it lets you avoid checked-bag fees. If you want flexibility in your airline choices, though, a general travel card is the way to go.…

The price of Brent crude oil was rising by about 3.5% to 98 US dollars a barrel on Thursday morning. On Wednesday, oil fell back sharply to lows of about 90 US dollars a barrel following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. (PA Graphics)Iran agreed to temporarily reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but closed the waterway again on Wednesday night in response to Israeli attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Stock markets opened in the red on Thursday, with the UK’s FTSE 100 edging lower by about 0.2% in early trading. There were…

Nottingham Building Society has announced a series of enhancements to its buy-to-let (BTL) lending criteria, including increasing its maximum mortgage term to 40 years, up from 35 years. The move is designed to provide landlords with greater flexibility when structuring borrowing, particularly as affordability pressures persist and more ‘accidental landlords’ enter the market. Longer terms can help manage repayment profiles and improve overall affordability. Alongside the extended term, the society has widened access to its BTL offering by opening lending to first-time landlord borrowers. This change allows new entrants to the rental market to access finance and begin building investment…

Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) – Patrick du Plessis has been appointed as the new chief risk officer at NBIM, the manager of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the Government Pension Fund Global. He is replacing Dag Huse, who held the role for 11 years until last November, at which point he left the leader group and became principal adviser on matters related to geopolitical risk and policy at NBIM instead.  Du Plessis, who has worked at NBIM since 2001, was most recently the organisation’s global head of risk monitoring. He became chief risk officer on 1 April.   Smart Pensions – James Lawrence…

Representational image. Credit: Canva Origis Energy has announced the successful closing of $118 million in tax equity financing from RBC Community Investments to support the development of its Chalan Solar + Storage project in Kern County. This financing marks a significant milestone for the project, which is part of Origis Energy’s expanding portfolio of large-scale clean energy assets across the United States. Origis Energy is currently building the hybrid facility and will own and operate it once completed. The project consists of a 65 MWac solar installation paired with a 25 MW / 100 MWh battery energy storage system. Commercial…

NIGERIA/SENEGAL – Thor Explorations Ltd. (TSXV/AIM:THX) reported a net profit of $196.2 million for the year ending December 31, 2025, compared to $91.1 million in the prior year, according to a press release statement issued Wednesday. The company sold 94,130 ounces of gold during fiscal 2025 at an average price of $3,422 per ounce, generating revenue of $325.5 million. This compares to 84,965 ounces sold at $2,288 per ounce and revenue of $193.1 million in fiscal 2024. The Segilola Gold mine in Nigeria produced 91,910 ounces of gold during the year, processing 962,891 tonnes of ore at an average grade…

This comes amid the company’s long-term strategic transformation into a more focused business [SINGAPORE] ESR has secured US$850 million in equity capital to accelerate long-term growth and strengthen its balance sheet.The new investment was committed by existing shareholders and backed by leading global investors, the Apac-focused real asset owner and manager said on Thursday (Apr 9). The capital will be deployed to fund growth initiatives across ESR’s logistics real estate and data centres platforms, the company said. “… We are accelerating development and fundraising while driving sustained growth in leasing and capital deployment,” said Phil Pearce, president of ESR.Pearce noted…