News about World markets
Every spring, life in Europe almost comes to a standstill because of the succession of annual holidays that stretch from March to May. Economists have long asked an uncomfortable question: what is their cost?
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called an emergency meeting of the defense council after a conversation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Logos Press reports, citing RBC.
Tungsten reserves, on which the U.S. military machine critically depends, are rapidly depleting due to the war with Iran. But it is impossible to replenish them quickly – China dominates supplies and has imposed export restrictions. The Trump administration is trying to solve the problem, but it could take up to 10 years.
Moldova actively attracted external financing in 2025, with a significant portion of funds coming from the European Union. The EU even allocated additional funds (€18.9 million) in September to complement the aid package under the reform mechanism. One of the key objectives of these agreements is to support the country’s modernization and fulfill its EU accession commitments.
In 2025-26 marketing year Ukraine will export 505 thousand tons of sugar, which is 19.7% less than in the previous season.
Thursday was the last working day on major trading floors before the Catholic Good Friday, declared a holiday in the countries of the Western branch of Christianity. Before the long weekend, wheat and corn prices fell by an average of $0.16-0.21/bushel, $3-5/t.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went on an unannounced visit to the Persian Gulf countries. She became the first Western leader to visit the Gulf states since the start of the Iran war.
With the outbreak of war in Iran, the gas market has entered a phase of uncertainty and sharp price increases, which makes building gas reserves for winter problematic for many countries, including Moldova.
SINGAPORE – Recent energy crises, particularly the war with Iran, have shown how vulnerable many countries are to conflict, disruption and coercion. Not surprisingly, governments around the world are rushing to rethink their diversification and energy transition strategies.
The week passed for the world currencies in the waiting mode. Traders are following the news about the war in Iran and waiting for data on liquidity flows. The dollar remained stable after rising by 0.4% in the previous session, helped by a calmer reaction to US President Donald Trump’s recent comments on Iran.
Google’s Quantum AI team said earlier this week that a future quantum computer would be able to derive a bitcoin private key from a public key in about nine minutes. The figure was widely circulated on social media and caused concern in the markets.
A group of Moldovan MPs paid a visit to Georgia at the invitation of the Georgian side. The delegation consisted of Igor Dodon, Bogdan Tsirdia, Petru Burduja (PSRM), Vasile Costiuc, chairman of the parliamentary faction “Democrația Acasă” and Olga Ursu, deputy chairman of the parliamentary faction “Alternativa”.
Moldovan wine company Purcari Wineries said Friday that its Romanian subsidiary Crama Ceptura has signed an agreement for the full acquisition of the Romanian company CaraprodVin, located in the commune of Varstecoiu, Vrancea county.
In March, global food prices rose significantly. The main drivers of the rise in prices were high energy prices and a sharp increase in the cost of freight transportation, provoked by the military conflict in the Middle East. As a result, the average value of the Food Price Index (FPI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) increased by 2.4% compared to February.
Authorities in Singapore have announced plans to build new gold vaults to house bullion from other central banks, according to Logos Press.
French cosmetics giant L’Oréal has completed a major deal with Kering, acquiring its Kering Beauté division for €4 billion. The deal also includes the famous Creed perfume house, which strengthens L’Oréal’s position in the premium perfume segment.
The French CMA CGM vessel became the first Western European ship to pass the Strait of Hormuz since the Iranian war began. This may encourage other carriers to resume voyages if the corridor proves reliable in the coming days.
The Pop Mart International Group chain of stores has lost about $33 billion in market value amid a sharp drop in shares and growing investor skepticism about the sustainability of the Labubu brand.
The French real estate market continues to show signs of cooling. According to analysts Meilleurs Agents, the first quarter of 2026 turned out to be weaker than expected: interest in buying housing does not grow into real transactions, despite the stabilization of prices.
Russia is looking for new destinations for exporting its energy and agricultural raw materials. North African countries – Egypt in particular – are seen as a promising option in this context.
