عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Dollar Steady as Traders Weigh Escalating Iran War, Ceasefire Hopes

US dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
US dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Dollar Steady as Traders Weigh Escalating Iran War, Ceasefire Hopes

US dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
US dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 24, 2026. (Reuters)

The dollar was steady on Monday, while the yen flirted with the crucial 160 per dollar level, as nervous investors took stock of the escalating Iran war, with all eyes on the latest deadline from US President Donald Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

In an expletive-laden Easter Sunday social media post, Trump threatened to target Iran's power plants and bridges on Tuesday if the strategic waterway is not reopened, setting a precise deadline of 8 p.m. Tuesday Eastern Time (0000 GMT).

With most of Asia and Europe closed for holiday on Monday, liquidity is likely to be thin, with investor focus on the possibility of a ceasefire after a media report suggested a last-ditch push from negotiators was underway.

"Trump's latest deadline itself is bearish not because investors think war is guaranteed tomorrow if ‌Iran does not ‌open the strait, but because every new ultimatum makes the disruption look longer, ‌stickier ⁠and more macro-negative," ⁠said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo in Singapore.

The euro was at $1.1523, while sterling last fetched $1.3211. The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six rivals, was slightly lower at 100.12.

The Australian dollar was 0.3% higher at $0.69045, wobbling near the two-month low that it hit last week.

In the kind of mixed messaging that has baffled supporters, foes and financial markets alike, Trump told Fox News on Sunday that Iran was negotiating, with a deal possible by Monday.

Axios reported the US, Iran and regional mediators are discussing terms of a potential 45-day ceasefire that could ⁠lead to a permanent end to the war.

Global markets have been rattled since ‌the US-Israel war on Iran broke out at the end of February, ‌with Tehran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that is a thoroughfare through which about a fifth ‌of the world's total oil and liquefied natural gas passes.

"If the strait is reopened fully around that ‌time (Trump's Tuesday deadline), oil will fall sharply and risk will rally hard," said Prashant Newnaha, senior rates strategist at TD Securities.

"However, if the US escalates, expect global markets to reprice sharply. It's wait-and-watch in what's turning out to be a binary event."

The closure has caused oil prices to surge well above $100 per barrel, stoking fears of high inflation and upending rates outlooks across the ‌world. Worries about the hit to economic growth have also weighed as stagflation risks swirl.

Traders are now no longer pricing a move from the Federal Reserve ⁠well into the second ⁠half of 2027, compared with expectations of two rate cuts in 2026 at the start of the year.

Data last week suggested US labor market conditions remained calm in March, though economists warned that a prolonged war in the Middle East posed a downside risk.

YEN WATCH

The Japanese yen was flat at 159.55 per US dollar, not far from the 21-month low that it hit last week as traders watch for indications of Tokyo intervening in the wake of strong warnings from officials in the past few days.

Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama on Friday put currency traders on notice, saying the government stands ready to act against speculative moves in foreign exchange markets as volatility has risen "significantly."

Still, many doubt the firepower of any intervention at a time when geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East is fueling relentless demand for the safe-haven dollar. The yen is down 1.5% since the war started, stuck near the 160 level.

Speculators have also been adding to their short yen positioning, with the latest weekly data showing a short position worth $5.7 billion, the highest since July 2024, when Japan last intervened in the FX markets.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

Türkiye Unveils Steep Tax Cuts to Boost Competitiveness, Investment

Commuters arrive to take a ride across the Bosphorus at Karakoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
Commuters arrive to take a ride across the Bosphorus at Karakoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
TT
TT

Türkiye Unveils Steep Tax Cuts to Boost Competitiveness, Investment

Commuters arrive to take a ride across the Bosphorus at Karakoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
Commuters arrive to take a ride across the Bosphorus at Karakoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)

Türkiye unveiled details on Monday of a broad package of incentives aimed to boost competitiveness and attract investment, and also position its biggest city Istanbul as a leading financial gateway across the region.

At a press conference, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said Türkiye was extending a tax exemption on services exports to 100% to target high-value sectors like software, gaming, medical tourism.

At the same time, it is reducing manufacturing exporters' corporate tax rate ‌to 9% to ‌boost competitiveness and attract foreign direction investment (FDI), he ‌said.

The ⁠tax reductions are ⁠long-term and "here to stay," he told reporters, days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan first floated the comprehensive legislative package including the tax plans.

The package aims to bolster an economy that officials hope is emerging from a years-long inflationary crisis that cut deeply into individuals' and companies' savings and earnings, prompting many Turks to seek stability ⁠abroad. Inflation was above 30% last month.

Some of the incentives, including zero corporate income tax on transit trade, are focused on the companies located ‌in the Istanbul Financial Center (IFC), a new state-backed clutch of glassy towers on the city's Asian side.

The ⁠rate is ⁠95% for those located outside the IFC, Simsek said, noting it was set at 50% in years past.

The package aims to "export more goods and services, attract more talent, entrepreneurs, capital, a new home that's more encouraging local citizens to use Türkiye as a center of their activities and ... placing IFC as one of the key regional hubs," he said.

Business

Saudi Home Ownership Rises to 66 Percent on Decade of Reforms

The Nesaj Town project in the Al Wajiha suburb of Dammam, one of the Sakani housing program projects developed in partnership with the private sector. (SPA)
The Nesaj Town project in the Al Wajiha suburb of Dammam, one of the Sakani housing program projects developed in partnership with the private sector. (SPA)
TT
TT

Saudi Home Ownership Rises to 66 Percent on Decade of Reforms

The Nesaj Town project in the Al Wajiha suburb of Dammam, one of the Sakani housing program projects developed in partnership with the private sector. (SPA)
The Nesaj Town project in the Al Wajiha suburb of Dammam, one of the Sakani housing program projects developed in partnership with the private sector. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia has raised home ownership among its citizens to 66.24 percent over the past decade through regulatory reforms, expanded mortgage financing and digital housing platforms under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program.

The increase, up from 47 percent before the launch of Vision 2030, reflects a government push to make housing a development priority through reforms aimed at increasing supply, improving financing access and reducing wait times for home-buyers.

Policies under the Housing Program, one of Vision 2030’s initiatives, helped cut what were once years-long waits for support into a streamlined process backed by digital platforms and financing solutions. More than 851,000 Saudi families have become homeowners through support programs, according to official figures.

The housing and real estate sectors have undergone broad changes in recent years, driven by regulatory and legislative reforms, expansion in mortgage finance and wider residential options aimed at creating a more balanced property market.

Vision 2030 initially targeted raising Saudi family home ownership to 60 percent by 2020, a goal it surpassed.

Authorities have also moved to address supply constraints and market distortions, particularly in Riyadh, where recent directives included doubling housing developments north of the capital and lifting restrictions on development across more than 81 square kilometers of land.

Plans also call for supplying between 10,000 and 40,000 serviced residential plots annually over five years at prices capped at SAR 1,500 per square meter.

Additional measures included regulations governing landlord-tenant relations in Riyadh, amendments to the Kingdom’s white land tax system and expanded monitoring of property prices.

Efforts to improve land and property data also pushed Saudi Arabia’s land and property coverage indicator to 53 percent, above a 45 percent target.

Mortgage lending has expanded sharply alongside the reforms. Outstanding residential mortgages to individuals exceeded SAR 907 billion ($241 billion) in the third quarter of 2025.

Housing contracts topped one million, while land financing contracts exceeded 74,000. Self-build contracts surpassed 286,000 last year, while contracts for ready-built homes exceeded 534,000. Off-plan sales contracts topped 114,000.

A broader range of housing products, including land, off-plan developments, ready-built units and self-build options, has expanded choices for buyers, while digital platforms have simplified access and financing mechanisms have sought to ease costs for households.

Furthermore, the reforms have helped reshape a sector once marked by supply shortages and long waiting periods into a more efficient system better able to meet demand.

The housing push has also been tied to broader Vision 2030 goals to improve living standards and increase private-sector participation in development.

Business

LNG Tanker Orders Gain Pace Despite Mixed Outlook from Iran War

A drone view shows the Bahamas‑flagged LNG tanker Nohshu Maru sailing through the Panama Canal as it operates at top capacity, with the war in Iran boosting demand from owners and operators of liquefied natural gas vessels, in Gamboa City, Panama, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the Bahamas‑flagged LNG tanker Nohshu Maru sailing through the Panama Canal as it operates at top capacity, with the war in Iran boosting demand from owners and operators of liquefied natural gas vessels, in Gamboa City, Panama, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

LNG Tanker Orders Gain Pace Despite Mixed Outlook from Iran War

A drone view shows the Bahamas‑flagged LNG tanker Nohshu Maru sailing through the Panama Canal as it operates at top capacity, with the war in Iran boosting demand from owners and operators of liquefied natural gas vessels, in Gamboa City, Panama, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the Bahamas‑flagged LNG tanker Nohshu Maru sailing through the Panama Canal as it operates at top capacity, with the war in Iran boosting demand from owners and operators of liquefied natural gas vessels, in Gamboa City, Panama, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Global orders to build liquefied natural gas carriers (LNGC) are set to rebound this year after a 2025 slump as growing LNG output and vessel fuel efficiency drive demand, industry executives and analysts say.

The rise in orders is offsetting concerns that supply disruptions from the US-Iran war may reduce near-term shipping demand and pressure freight rates.

Since late last year, shipbuilders in South Korea and China have received more orders, with 35 new LNGC builds contracted in the first quarter, according to consultancies Poten & Partners and Drewry.

By comparison, 37 LNGCs were ordered in all of 2025, with a record 171 orders placed in 2022, Drewry data shows. Each tanker costs $250 million-$260 million, and takes over three years to build.

Upcoming LNG production in the US, Africa, Canada and Argentina will generate tanker demand, along with a push towards fuel efficiency and accelerated vessel demolitions, said Pratiksha ‌Negi, Drewry's lead ‌analyst for LNG shipping, with steam turbine and diesel-electric carriers expected to be phased out.

FLEXIBLE ‌US ⁠VOLUMES

The global LNGC ⁠fleet numbers over 700 vessels, which handle the more than 400 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG supply.

Some 72 mtpa of new LNG capacity was approved globally last year, and more than 120 mtpa of new US LNG supply is coming to market in the next 3-4 years, said Fraser Carson, principal analyst, global LNG at Wood Mackenzie.

The growth of US LNG and flexible LNG supply creates trading patterns that require more shipping, he said.

US LNG is typically sold on a free-on-board basis with destination flexibility, allowing mid-voyage diversions that can tie up vessels for longer.

Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, the ⁠world's largest LNGC fleet owner with 107 vessels, expects US LNG supply investment to spur ‌tanker orders, CEO Jotaro Tamura said.

The company plans to grow its ‌LNGC fleet to approximately 150 vessels by around 2035.

Meanwhile, the demolition of steam-propelled LNGCs has accelerated since 2022 to a record ‌15 vessels last year, Drewry data showed, due to poor economics and tighter emissions regulations.

A proposed framework by the ‌International Maritime Organization to cut shipping emissions is also driving demand for new builds, said Uma Dutt, vice president, LNG at global ship management firm Anglo-Eastern, as the industry switches to dual-fuel vessels that can run on LNG.

WAR COMPLICATES OUTLOOK

The Iran war, however, presents conflicting signals for LNG shipping. Supply disruptions are pushing Asian LNG buyers towards alternative sources like Atlantic basin supply, increasing travel distances ‌for ships. It could also boost demand for LNG projects elsewhere, lifting overall demand for more carriers, said Wood Mackenzie's Carson.

But on the other hand, the war ⁠has also disrupted LNG flows through ⁠the Strait of Hormuz and sidelined 12.8 mtpa of Qatari capacity for three to five years, which could curb shipping demand and weigh on freight rates at a time where an "avalanche" of ship supply is already coming, he said.

Qatar, which operates over 100 LNGCs, will add 70-80 new builds over the next 3-4 years while the UAE's ADNOC is expected to double its fleet to 18 within 36 months, said Carson.

"Most of these new build vessels were earmarked to serve under-construction LNG projects that are now facing delays," he said.

"The longer those delays persist, the more likely it is that these ships are offered to the market on sublet arrangements, softening rates considerably."

Poten & Partners and Drewry expect a record 90-100 LNGCs to be delivered this year, up from 79 in 2025.

However, Drewry's Negi said seven of nine LNGCs initially scheduled for delivery this year and now pushed back to 2027-28 are linked to QatarEnergy.

Poten & Partners senior LNG analyst Irwin Yeo said some firms may delay placing big new build orders due to uncertainties triggered by the war.

"Market uncertainty and rising shipbuilding costs, including labor and raw materials amid the current Middle East crisis could deter some from placing orders."