Category
Global
Stories and analysis from The Business Now newsroom.
Commodities
Oil Nears $95: Could the Iran War Trigger a New U.S. Inflation Shock?
Oil at $95 Is Not the Real Story A crude-oil headline is easy to write: “Oil prices rise as Iran tensions escalate.” Reuters, Bloomberg, CNBC and WSJ can publish that story within minutes. But for TheBusinessNow, that isn’t enough. The bigger question is: What happens to the American economy if oil stays near $95 —...
Economy
U.S. National Debt Hits $40 Trillion: Why Treasury Yields Are Rising Again
The $40 Trillion Number Is Not the Whole Story The United States has crossed a psychological and financial milestone. $40 trillion. But simply writing “America owes $40 trillion” misses the more important story. The real question for markets is: Who is willing to finance America’s growing debt — and at what interest rate? That question...
Commodities
Strait of Hormuz Standoff: The Oil Shock That Could Hit the U.S. Economy Next
Strait of Hormuz Standoff: Why the Oil Market Is Getting Nervous Again The oil market is being forced to price a problem that seemed to be easing only weeks ago: the Strait of Hormuz is still not reliably functioning as a normal commercial shipping route. On August 19, Brent crude was trading around $91.20 a...
Business
Japan’s Bond Market Is Sending a Warning: 10-Year Yields Near 3% Put the BOJ and Government Under Pressure
Japan’s Bond Market Is Sending a Warning: 10-Year Yields Near 3% Put the BOJ and Government Under Pressure Japan’s once-unthinkably low borrowing costs are disappearing. As the 10-year Japanese government bond yield approaches 3%, investors are reassessing inflation, government spending, the yen and the next move from the Bank of Japan. Japan’s bond market is...
Global
US–South Korea Military Drills Cut Short: Trump’s Kim Jong Un Strategy Raises New Questions for the Alliance
US–South Korea Military Drills Cut Short: Trump’s Kim Jong Un Strategy Raises New Questions for the Alliance The United States and South Korea are abruptly scaling back their major joint military exercises, putting a spotlight on the changing security relationship between Washington, Seoul and Pyongyang. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was originally scheduled to...
Global
Michigan Backlash Could Threaten Democrats’ Senate Comeback — Why the El-Sayed Victory Is a Bigger Test Than It Looks
Michigan Backlash Could Threaten Democrats’ Senate Comeback — Why the El-Sayed Victory Is a Bigger Test Than It Looks Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary has given the party’s progressive wing a major breakthrough. But the backlash surrounding his nomination is creating a difficult question for Democrats: can they turn a divisive primary...
Commodities
China’s “Ice Silk Road” After Hormuz: The Arctic Shipping Route That Could Reshape Global Trade
China’s “Ice Silk Road” Is Moving From Vision to Reality For decades, the idea of using the Arctic Ocean as a major commercial highway between Asia and Europe seemed more like a geopolitical thought experiment than a realistic alternative to the Suez Canal. That is beginning to change. China is increasingly looking toward the Northern...
Business
Trump Threatens Oman Over Strait of Hormuz as US-Iran Talks Reach Critical Point
Trump Threatens Oman as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Deepens US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Oman, saying the United States could take military action if Oman interferes with Washington’s efforts to control shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The comments, reported on August 17, come at a highly sensitive...
Global
USS Abraham Lincoln Under Pressure: Top U.S. Commander Visits Carrier as Sailor Families Demand Answers
USS Abraham Lincoln Under Pressure: Top U.S. Commander Visits Carrier as Sailor Families Demand Answers The USS Abraham Lincoln has become the center of a growing debate over the cost of America’s prolonged military operations against Iran. As the aircraft carrier prepares for relief after an unusually long deployment, U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad...