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Dollar Rises as Traders Mull Ukraine Peace Talks, Trump Tariffs

US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Dollar Rises as Traders Mull Ukraine Peace Talks, Trump Tariffs

US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

The dollar strengthened against a range of currencies but slipped against the yen on Wednesday, as traders focused on talks over a Ukraine ceasefire and digested the latest round of tariff threats from US President Donald Trump.

The pound, meanwhile, got a short-lived boost from a stronger-than-expected UK inflation print.

The dollar index last stood at 107.2, up 0.19% after dropping 1.2% last week. The yen was stronger against the dollar , up 0.1% at 151.855.

Trump's administration said on Tuesday it had agreed to hold more talks with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine after an initial meeting that excluded Kyiv, a departure from Washington's previous approach that rallied US allies to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Francesco Pesole, foreign exchange strategist at ING, pointed to the market's base case that a peace deal in Ukraine might be reached at some point. Meanwhile, the European Union's exclusion from the table at peace talks is seen as spurring safe-haven demand into the yen and out of the euro, he said.

The euro was down 0.4% against the yen at 158.25, and down 0.2% against the dollar at $1.0426, Reuters reported.

Pesole highlighted the latest raft of tariff threats from Trump, but said the market was more focused on news around a potential Ukraine peace deal in the short-term.

"There is a residual sort of reluctance in markets to see whether Trump will indeed go ahead with tariffs on trade partners," he said.

Trump said on Tuesday he intends to impose auto tariffs "in the neighborhood of 25%" and similar duties on semiconductors and pharmaceutical imports, the latest in a series of measures threatening to upend international trade.

"Amid all this chaotic, childish back and forth of the presidential tariff announcements, let's not lose sight of what will ultimately come out of it: probably fewer tariffs than expected when he took office, but still substantial ones," Commerzbank forex analysts and strategists said in a note.

The euro was little moved by remarks from European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel, who on Wednesday told the Financial Times the central bank was edging closer to pausing rate cuts.

In the UK, official data showed inflation speeding up by more than expected to hit a 10-month high of 3.0% in January and is likely to rise further soon, testing the Bank of England's confidence that price pressures will ease over the longer term.

Sterling was down 0.27% at $1.25790, coming off a two-month high hit immediately after the data.

Against the euro, the pound was virtually unchanged at 82.86 pence. Pesole said the relatively safe position of the UK on trade and the latest inflation figures made the pound more attractive than the euro.

Elsewhere, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand reduced its benchmark rate by 50 basis points to 3.75% on Wednesday as widely expected and signalled future moves would likely be smaller, leaving the currency up 0.2% on the day at $0.5714 .

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Saudi EXIM Bank Signs Trilateral MoU with Poland’s BGK and KUKE

The MoU enhances collaboration among the three parties in export support, financing, and insurance - SPA
The MoU enhances collaboration among the three parties in export support, financing, and insurance - SPA
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Saudi EXIM Bank Signs Trilateral MoU with Poland’s BGK and KUKE

The MoU enhances collaboration among the three parties in export support, financing, and insurance - SPA
The MoU enhances collaboration among the three parties in export support, financing, and insurance - SPA

Saudi Export-Import Bank (Saudi EXIM Bank) has signed a memorandum of understanding with two Polish financial institutions, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) and Polish export credit agency (KUKE), strengthening cooperation in export support, financing, and insurance, and expanding trade and investment between Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Poland.

According to a press release issued by the Saudi EXIM Bank today, the agreement was signed by Saudi EXIM Bank Deputy CEO Dr. Naif bin Abdulrahman Al-Shammari, Member of the Board of BGK Mateusz Szczurek and CEO and President of the Board of KUKE Janusz Władyczak during the Saudi-Polish Investment Forum, SPA reported.

The MoU enhances collaboration among the three parties in export support, financing, and insurance, including export-related co-financing, guarantees, insurance, and reinsurance. It also promotes the exchange of information and expertise relating to export credit policies and practices, in addition to organizing meetings, workshops, training programs, and capacity-building initiatives.

The release added that the agreement enables Saudi and Polish companies to explore joint business and project opportunities of mutual interest, while facilitating access to non-oil export markets for both countries through cooperation among export finance and guarantee institutions.

On this occasion, Al-Shammari stated: “This memorandum comes as an extension of Saudi EXIM’s efforts to build high-quality partnerships with global export finance and credit insurance institutions, and to establish a cooperation framework that enables exporters and buyers in Saudi Arabia and Poland to access new markets. Through this cooperation, we look forward to enhancing the flow of mutual trade and investment and opening broader horizons for companies to benefit from the opportunities available in both countries.”

The signing of this MoU aligns with Saudi EXIM Bank's strategy to build effective partnerships with export finance and credit guarantee institutions worldwide, supporting the growth and competitiveness of Saudi non-oil exports in regional and global markets, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030.

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Oil Gains as Traders Weigh Supply Risks Linked to US–Iran Tensions

A pumpjack, used to help lift oil from a well, in the Permian basin near Midland, Texas, US, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Arathy Somasekhar/File Photo
A pumpjack, used to help lift oil from a well, in the Permian basin near Midland, Texas, US, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Arathy Somasekhar/File Photo
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Oil Gains as Traders Weigh Supply Risks Linked to US–Iran Tensions

A pumpjack, used to help lift oil from a well, in the Permian basin near Midland, Texas, US, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Arathy Somasekhar/File Photo
A pumpjack, used to help lift oil from a well, in the Permian basin near Midland, Texas, US, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Arathy Somasekhar/File Photo

Oil prices edged up on Tuesday as traders gauged the potential for supply disruptions after US guidance for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz kept attention squarely on tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Brent crude oil futures were up 37 cents, or 0.5%, at $69.41 a barrel by 1136 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 25 cents, or 0.4%, to $64.61.

"The market is still focused on the tensions between Iran and the US," said Tamas Varga, an oil analyst at brokerage PVM.

"But unless there are concrete signs of supply disruptions, prices will likely start going lower," he said. "The market is range-bound, it's an oversupplied market against geopolitics."

Prices rose more than 1% on Monday, when the US Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration advised US-flagged commercial vessels to stay as far from Iran’s territorial waters as possible and to verbally decline Iranian forces' permission to board if asked.

About a fifth of the oil consumed globally passes through the Strait of Hormuz between Oman and Iran, making any escalation in the area a major risk to global oil supplies.

Iran and fellow OPEC members Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the strait, mainly to Asia.

The guidance was issued despite Iran's top diplomat saying last week that Oman-mediated nuclear talks with the US were off to a "good start" and set to continue.

Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a note on Tuesday that prices were supported by geopolitics, with a pickup in oil on vessels as buyers seek to secure more oil amid heightened uncertainty.

"While talks in Oman produced a cautiously positive tone, lingering uncertainty over potential escalation, sanctions tightening, or supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz has kept a modest risk premium intact," said Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG.

Meanwhile, the European Union has proposed extending its sanctions against Russia to include ports in Georgia and Indonesia that handle Russian oil, the first time the bloc would target ports in third countries, according to a proposal document seen by Reuters.

The move is part of efforts to tighten sanctions on Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow, over the war in Ukraine.

Indian Oil Corp bought six million barrels of crude from West Africa and the Middle East, traders said, as India steered clear of Russian oil in New Delhi's push for a trade deal with Washington, which the countries hope to conclude in March.

Business

AlUla Conference Urges Emerging Economies to Act Decisively, Define Their Own Growth Models

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance addresses attendees at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat). 
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance addresses attendees at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat). 
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AlUla Conference Urges Emerging Economies to Act Decisively, Define Their Own Growth Models

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance addresses attendees at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat). 
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance addresses attendees at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat). 

The AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies concluded with a clear call for emerging nations to move beyond imitation and take ownership of their economic futures, as global uncertainty reshapes trade, finance and development models.

Speakers stressed that emerging markets now possess the confidence and capacity to set their own standards and compete globally on their own terms.

Conference discussions reflected a growing shift in mindset among emerging economies, which are increasingly positioning themselves as influential players in the global economy rather than peripheral participants.

A central theme was the expanding role of the private sector, which participants described not only as a partner in development but as a primary engine of sustainable growth.

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan emphasized the need for decisive reform, regardless of political or economic difficulty. He rejected the notion of a “perfect time” for change, urging emerging economies to diagnose their own challenges and take responsibility for addressing them without waiting for external direction.

Speaking during the conference’s closing session on Monday, Al-Jadaan said postponing necessary reforms only increases their cost. He noted that successful structural transformation depends on bold leadership and an acceptance that meaningful economic reform inevitably requires difficult decisions.

Transparency, he said, remains central to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, particularly in building trust with citizens, investors and international partners. Al-Jadaan revealed that more than 87 per cent of Vision 2030 initiatives have been completed or are on track, while 93 per cent of key performance indicators have been achieved or are progressing as planned.

He cited artificial intelligence as an example of adaptive policymaking, noting that while the technology was not initially a dominant focus, changing global conditions required adjustments to ensure Saudi Arabia captures its economic value.

In the same closing dialogue, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva called on governments to shift from directly managing economies to enabling them. She said reducing state control over companies is essential to unlocking innovation and allowing the private sector to flourish.

Georgieva highlighted the mounting challenges facing emerging economies, including geopolitical tensions, demographic change and climate pressures, all of which have increased global uncertainty and made international cooperation indispensable.

Despite differing national circumstances, she said emerging economies share a common goal of building strong institutions and pursuing sound fiscal and monetary policies to enhance resilience.

She also underscored the role of international financial institutions in sharing best practices and supporting a more integrated global economy, concluding with a symbolic message: “One hand does not clap,” to emphasize the importance of partnership in achieving shared prosperity.

The second edition of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies was hosted in AlUla in partnership between Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance and the International Monetary Fund, bringing together finance ministers, central bank governors, international financial leaders and experts from around the world at a time of heightened global economic uncertainty.