Equity markets across the globe soared and crude plunged Wednesday after US President Donald Trump announced the two-week halt in the war, and the Islamic republic said it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz as peace talks took place.

Pakistan’s solar power push has cushioned the full impact of the war in the Middle East, analysts said, despite lingering concerns over fuel supplies and rising prices.

The World Bank projects lower economic growth for Bangladesh in the current fiscal year, stating that 12 lakh poor people will remain below the poverty line mainly due to the impact of the US-Israel war on Iran.

Middle East stocks also rallied, with Dubai jumping 8.5 percent

The Dutch TTF natural gas contract slumped to 42.5 euros

At around 8:10 am (0610 GMT), dollar was trading at 1.17 euros

US President Donald Trump said he agreed to suspend bombing and attacks on Iran for two weeks and that a long-term peace agreement was in progress.

India has moved closer to producing its own nuclear fuel after a domestic-designed reactor began a controlled nuclear reaction, an important step before it can start generating power.

The world’s worst energy crisis, caused by the Middle East war, will accelerate the development of renewables, nuclear energy and electric vehicles, the head of the International Energy Agency has predicted.

Farmers around the world may be switching to less nutrient-hungry crops as the Iran war hits the supply ​of fertilisers, but in China, they’re sitting pretty with plenty of stock thanks to the country’s rather unique reliance on coal to ‌produce urea.

The Strait of Hormuz’s closure and the resulting surge in global oil prices have handed financial windfalls to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia, while other states that lack alternative shipment routes have lost billions of dollars, a Reuters analysis found.

The taka edged lower against the dollar yesterday, with the weighted average interbank rate marginally rising to Tk 122.85 from Tk 122.75, at which the dollar had held steady since late March, Bangladesh Bank data showed.

"We are in a world of elevated uncertainty," the IMF chief said

European carriers are bracing for similar disruption after Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz cut off nearly 21% of global seaborne jet fuel supply, according to Kpler.

West Texas Intermediate topped $115 and Brent sitting around $111

Sri Lanka on Monday raised prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by nearly a quarter, blaming higher global prices triggered by the Iran war.

PH Creative (BD) Limited, a South Korean company, will set up a manufacturing facility at the Bepza Economic Zone (Bepza EZ) in Mirsharai, Chattogram.

US President Donald Trump’s tariffs sought to hurt Chinese manufacturing, but for one electronics maker, a turbulent 2025 ended with a belief that China is a location that is difficult to replicate - as long as things don’t change too drastically.

The company will produce a wide range of items, including steel, aluminium and iron frames, fibreglass poles, tents and sleeping bags

A third vessel, Jag Vikram, is still ​in the west of the Strait of Hormuz, ​the data showed