Business - Sunday, May 17, 2026

Asia-Pacific markets fell as investors weighed renewed geopolitical tensions after Donald Trump warned Iran to "get moving, FAST."

Australia’s government has ordered the biggest shareholders in rare earths firm Northern Minerals Ltd. to sell their stakes, in its latest attempt to force some Chinese investors to divest on national security grounds.

Survey shows businesses ‘struggling to absorb latest economic shock’, while data says April vacancies down 7.7% The worsening fallout from the Iran war is forcing businesses to halt their UK investment and hiring plans, bosses have warned, as Britain enters a renewed period of political and economic instability. More than two months into the US-Israeli war on Iran, leading surveys of UK employers showed companies were increasingly prioritising cost management over growth as rising costs and global uncertainty weigh on confidence. Continue reading...

The deal combining the companies in Florida and Virginia comes as demand for power is soaring, largely because of the rapid growth of A.I. data centers.

Body says, on average, British women approaching retirement have half private pension savings of men – £81,000 versus £156,000 A shake-up of pensions in Britain must involve measures to close the gap in retirement savings between men and women, the revived Pensions Commission is to tell ministers. According to the government-backed body, women approaching retirement have on average half the private pension savings of men, with a median pension wealth of £81,000 versus £156,000. Continue reading...

Jane Street Group LLC moved into a new Singapore office this month, doubling its seating capacity to 250 people as it continues to ramp up operations across Asia, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

For decades, he criticized the industry’s lax attitudes toward both computer security and individual digital privacy. And he developed solutions.

President Trump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are working hard to keep coal alive as part of a robust grid.

Gold rose slightly as investors assessed mixed signals about the possibility of a US-Iran ceasefire deal, while also weighing the odds that elevated energy prices will prompt central banks to keep interest rates higher for longer.

Wall Street saw a volatile session, with stocks and oil whipsawing as traders parsed mixed signals about prospects for a US-Iran deal to end the war and revive energy flows through the key Strait of Hormuz.