News about World markets
In an attempt to stop the fall of the Indian rupee amid rising oil prices and increasing geopolitical tensions, the Reserve Bank of India conducted a large-scale currency intervention. After the regulator’s intervention, the national currency strengthened, but analysts warn that the pressure on the market may persist.
According to the preliminary estimate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA), about 430-440 thousand hectares of winter crops have been sown for the harvest-2026 in Moldova, which is about 15-20% less than in the previous season. The situation with cereals is worse, in particular, sowing of winter wheat is unlikely to exceed 300 thousand ha (in 2024 – 351 thousand ha).
China imposes temporary restrictions on exports of diesel fuel and gasoline to meet domestic needs amid regional instability. Countries in the region are trying to find alternative sources, in particular, increasing interest in Kazakh oil.
The Katko uranium mining joint venture, whose shareholders are France’s Orano (51%) and Kazatomprom (49%), significantly increased production last year. For the French co-owner, the enterprise has become a key foreign asset in 2025.
Tehran’s decision has already taken effect and will remain in force until further instruction from the government. The authorities explain the temporary suspension of external agro-food shipments as “preventive measures to prevent possible shortages and price increases in basic consumer goods”. Some countries in the region have already expressed concern in this regard.
Azerbaijan remains a key transit point for foreign nationals staying in Iran. The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs urges compatriots who “could be in Iran” to keep in touch with the embassy in Baku to coordinate possible transit options.
Against the background of military actions in Iran, fuel prices are rising in Germany. The cost of diesel in the country averages 2.054 euros per liter. Gasoline of Super E10 grade rose to an average of 1.991 euros at the morning peak, Logos Press reports citing DW.
Ilon Musk’s transportation startup The Boring Company is among the finalists in a competition to build an experimental 1.6 km (1-mile) tunnel to solve urban traffic congestion in Tennessee.
Ilon Musk has updated Tesla’s ambitious mission statement, saying on social network X that his company “will be one of the first to create artificial general intelligence (AGI) and translate it into humanoid robots.”
Capital mobilization is the only lever that can boost productivity, increase revenues, strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy and increase its resilience.
In the last quarter of last year, Moldova surpassed Ukraine and Uzbekistan in the list of the largest suppliers of apple concentrate to Poland, one of the largest apple producers in Europe.
In the Arab Emirates there is an increase in the cancelation of short-term housing reservations in the wake of the military conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran, according to Logos Press.
The world grain market has come out of the multi-month trend of wheat prices decrease. Consequently, farmers of the Black Sea countries, including Moldova, will face the question – to sell or not to sell wheat at current prices, or to “take a pause” in the hope for a significant jump in prices in the foreseeable future?
In 2000, Robert Mugabe, the former dictator of Zimbabwe, won the top prize in the country’s national lottery. He won for a simple reason: because he could. Once you have destroyed the institutions that limit your power (during Mugabe’s 37 years in power, he did), you can rule for personal enrichment, personal greatness, or just for personal entertainment. What better way to show unlimited power than by demonstratively turning the existing system of rules into a farce? The damage such actions can do to norms and institutions is part of the intent.
As a result of leaving the CIS, Moldova’s state budget will save about 3.1 million lei in annual contributions. Moldova will pay almost the same amount this year to the Convention on the Danube Navigation Regime (Danube Commission).
The director of the Romanian company Transgaz, Ion Sterian, has assured that Romania currently has no problems with natural gas supplies despite the escalation of the war in the Middle East. The head of Transgaz said that consumption is covered by domestic production and storage facilities, while gas transit to Ukraine and Moldova continues as usual.
Bitcoin’s rebound to the $70,000 mark (it was trading at $68,000 at midday in Hong Kong) appeared to be driven more by repositioning than conviction, according to market maker Enflux, which said the move mainly reflected the closing of short positions after traders set themselves up for a bear market amid geopolitical news.
On the initiative of the National Crisis Management Center and in accordance with the appeal of the Ministry of Energy and the National Energy Regulatory Agency, the government imposed a 60-day high alert regime in the energy sector.
Fuel prices are rising in Moldova. But this has nothing to do with the events in the Middle East.
The heads of parliaments of the states of the “Odessa Triangle”, which includes Moldova, Romania and Ukraine, advocated further strengthening of sanctions pressure on Russia, in particular with regard to its “shadow fleet”.
