Economy

A crude oil pump jack and flare burning excess gas in Texas. A key U.S. oil price contract turned negative for the first time on Monday.
Commodities

Four things to know about the historic oil price plunge

Crude treated like 'garbage' shows turmoil in world's largest commodity market

22 April 2020
A man enters a hospital where a special ward has been set up for COVID-19 patients in Mumbai.
18 April 2020
A drilling site in the Eagle Ford Shale area in Texas: shale producers are slashing spending and production targets.
Opinion

OPEC's efforts to mop up global oil oversupply are good for Asia

Industry's growth is crucial for long-term energy security

17 April 2020
Despite doubts about China's transparency, analysts give it credit for its aggressive pandemic response, including in Wuhan where the outbreak started.
Coronavirus

South Korea and China earn high marks in pandemic safety ranking

Israel leads while Philippines and Indonesia lag on venture fund's list

14 April 2020
Firefighters spray disinfectant to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in Jakarta.
4 April 2020
Congress gave final approval to the largest economic package in U.S. history. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 22 to Mar. 28, US House passes a $2.2tn stimulus

Hong Kong bans gatherings of over 4 people; Trump tweets he is working with Xi

28 March 2020
A freeway sits almost empty in downtown Los Angeles, after California's Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an unprecedented statewide "stay at home order" directing the state's 40 million residents to hunker down in their homes for the foreseeable future during the global outbreak of coronavirus disease, in California, U.S., on March 20, 2020.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 15 to Mar. 21, New York orders millions to stay indoors

Mainland China reports zero new local cases for 3rd day; worldwide total surges

21 March 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump at a 2019 G-7 Summit in France. Macron said the leaders will hold a virtual meeting on Monday to discuss the medical and economic responses to the virus outbreak..
14 March 2020
A crude oil import terminal in Qingdao, China, pictured in August 2019: the combination of easy money and cheap oil could worsen deflationary pressures.
Opinion

Oil price crash will not offer help that Asian economies need

Long-term uncertainty has grown, overturning budgets and demanding cool heads

12 March 2020
The Nikkei stock index fell 5% to close at 19,698.76 yen on March 9. (Photo by Kento Awashima) 
Markets

Asian stocks plunge, as yen and bonds surge after oil plummets

Saudi Arabia poised to pump more crude even as coronavirus spooks global economy

9 March 2020
A member of the medical team in protective gear sprays disinfectant liquid at a taxi station in Tehran.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 1 to Mar. 7, confirmed cases top 100,000 worldwide

South Korea to suspend visa waivers for Japan; Hubei, excluding Wuhan, reports no new cases

7 March 2020
Indonesians, who were scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia for an umrah pilgrimage, walk after being turned away from flights at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Feb. 27.
Coronavirus

Saudi pilgrim ban hits Indonesian tour operators and airlines

Extension through hajj season in July would be risk for Saudi tourism sector

4 March 2020
A street sign for Wall Street is seen outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan, New York.
29 February 2020
People wait at a crosswalk along the Dongseong-ro shopping street in Daegu, South Korea. The country reported 142 new coronavirus cases on Saturday.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Feb. 16 to Feb. 22, South Korea cases soar again, to 433

US confirms 34 additional infections and expects more from cruise ship

22 February 2020
A staff member wearing a face mask stands in front of a restaurant on Valentine's Day in Beijing.
15 February 2020
Demonstrators in Tehran on Jan. 3 hold pictures of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest against the killing of Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force.
Iran tensions

Hotels empty as tourists shun Iran over geopolitical tensions

Industry hit by protests, plane shootdown and threat of war with US

30 January 2020
A traveller donning a mask at the Dubai International Airport, after the UAE's Ministry of Health and Community Prevention confirmed the country's first cases of coronavirus.
Coronavirus

Coronavirus confirmed in UAE, first case in the Middle East

Chinese family arrived in Dubai on a flight but unclear how they managed to breach ban

29 January 2020
A period of hardship has strengthened the Turkish economy's "immune system," Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak told Nikkei. (Photo by Sinan Tavsan)
Interview

Turkey's powerful finance minister says worst is over for economy

Erdogan confidant defends efforts to stabilize currency

24 January 2020
With a glut in supply as well as a diversification of energy sources, including the U.S. shale gas boom, the world is becoming less reliance on Middle East oil.
Datawatch

Oil market shrugs off Iran crisis, giving Trump free hand

Increase in global production leaves prices less vulnerable to events

12 January 2020
Rough seas threaten to make crude oil storage yards like this one in northern Japan's Akita Prefecture inaccessible during winter, a government assessment finds.
Iran tensions

Iran crisis exposes Japan's oil reserve risks

Tokyo finds 20% of stockpiles potentially inaccessible in winter

11 January 2020
Iranian soldiers mourn Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed in an air strike by the U.S. in Baghdad. Rising tensions have cast a shadow on business activity in the Middle East.
Iran tensions

Japanese companies ban Middle East travel

Global players Komatsu, Chiyoda and Toray face dent to business

9 January 2020
A man walks past an electric board showing Nikkei Stock Average in Tokyo on Jan. 8.
Iran tensions

Asian stocks dive after Iran fires missiles at US-led forces

Yen, gold and oil surge as investors fear tensions following Soleimani killing

8 January 2020
Singapore Airlines has regular flights to more than 10 European cities. Other Asian carriers may follow its lead and divert flights away from Iranian airspace.
Iran tensions

Singapore Airlines avoids Iran airspace as regional tension rises

Flights between SE Asia and Europe face disruption as country lies along route

8 January 2020
Japan imports 80% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, near where two tankers were attacked in June.
Energy

Japan oil majors seek safer supply via Abu Dhabi exchange

JXTG and Inpex to invest in market that bypasses volatile Strait of Hormuz

1 January 2020
Aramco's initial public offering on the Saudi Stock Exchange in Riyadh on Dec. 11 set a new record for money raised, at $25.6 billion. It is the most valuable company in the world.
Comment

Aramco's IPO has lessons for Asia's state-owned oil companies

Stock listings offer cash and professionalism, but the politics are tricky

29 December 2019