News about World markets
Countries in the Gulf region will lose between $34 billion and $56 billion in tourism revenue in 2026, with the number of international arrivals to the region dropping to 11-27% year-on-year, according to Logos Press.
Oil quotations continue to grow amid the conflict in the Middle East. Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Qaabi warned that the price of oil could rise to $150 per barrel.
Due to rising energy prices, the European currency is already suffering. The euro has fallen 2% against the dollar. The fall could be more significant if the war in Iran lasts longer than the “four weeks” that Trump spoke of.
Booking.com, one of the largest online accommodation booking services, has announced the winners of its 14th annual Traveller Review Awards. The awards are based on 370 million traveler reviews and reflect the level of service and hospitality of partners around the world, according to Logos Press.
US-based beauty corporation Estée Lauder Companies has announced plans to fully buy out Indian ayurvedic brand Forest Essentials by acquiring the remaining stakes in the company. The deal will be the next phase of a multi-year partnership and aims to expand the Indian brand’s global footprint. It is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026, once all necessary regulatory approvals have been received.
World investors began to reduce investments in equity funds – for the first time in the last eight weeks. The reason was growing geopolitical risks in the Middle East and fears of accelerating inflation, Reuters reports with reference to the data of analytical companies.
Wheat production in Kazakhstan in the 2025/26 marketing year will reach a record 18 million tons. This is only slightly below the previous season’s harvest, the second largest ever recorded.
For the first time since November 2025, Ukraine started supplying electricity abroad. Specifically, on March 5, a minimum export to Moldova was recorded. Before that, the last time electricity was exported was on November 11, 2025.
The Central Bank of Sweden has issued recommendations for citizens in case of war and other crises. In particular, it recommended keeping at home 1 thousand Swedish kronor (about $110) for each adult.
In international relations, clearly illegitimate government actions can sometimes be morally justified. Although there are few historical examples of legitimacy trumping legality, they do exist. Whether the joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is one such case requires more attention than it has received so far.
Moldova takes another step towards freedom of capital movement. The National Bank of Moldova (NBM) has drafted a law amending the Law on Foreign Exchange Regulation – the so-called draft law on partial liberalization. The draft is currently at the stage of public consultations and will soon be submitted by the Ministry of Finance to the government for consideration.
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.”
