archiveMiddle East tensions

BENGALURU: Thai stocks and the baht were largely unchanged on Wednesday after the country’s central bank stood pat on rates, as expected, while other Asian currencies and equities rose as easing Middle East tensions lifted sentiment. The currency was trading at 32.623 per dollar after the Bank of Thailand (BoT) held its key one-day repurchase rate steady at 1.75%, following two straight cuts, as it looked to preserve limited policy space amid persistent trade uncertainty and deepening political turmoil. The central bank said its monetary policy remained accommodative to support...

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar and a basket of major currencies on Monday despite a strong US Dollar Index (DXY) as ongoing geopolitical tensions, with the United States’ (US) involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, in focus, said an analyst.At 8 am, the local note rose to 4.2420/2655 against the greenback from Friday’s close of 4.2505/2565.Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said there are fears of a wider conflagration in the region as the US announced “successful” airstrikes...

Oil prices have taken a breather after a sharp 21.74 per cent surge in Brent futures this month (June 2025), driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. While Brent is currently trading at $75.6 per barrel, the possibility of prices testing $120 cannot be ruled out if the Iran-Israel conflict escalates. For India, a net oil importer, rising crude prices pose significant risks to the economy, currency, and markets. Here are three key risks India should watch as tensions simmer in the Middle East, along with insights into whether...