Oil companies are weighing how to spend windfall profits after the Strait of Hormuz disruption pushed energy prices to multi-year highs. Trading desks have profited from the volatility stemming from the Iran war, adding pressure on producers to decide between investment, dividends and buybacks.

The growing global use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is pushing consumers toward more nutrition-conscious choices, creating new export opportunities for New Zealand's premium food producers.

Argentina posted another trade surplus after exports reached $77 billion between January and September 2026, with agricultural products, minerals, gas and oil making up 73% of total sales abroad.

New Zealand's free trade agreement with India has officially taken effect, Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay said. The deal makes 57 percent of New Zealand's exports to India tariff-free, including sheep meat, wool, coal and forestry products.

Oyster growers along South Australia's coast report recovery from last year's harmful algal bloom, though the pace varies widely between regions. Farmers describe reduced stock levels and a rise in barnacle growth as lingering challenges heading into the busy summer season.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to meet the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries under the C5+1 format. Trade, investment, critical minerals and security are expected to top the agenda, with more than 200 American business executives accompanying the visit. The trip underscores Washington's push for closer economic and strategic ties with the region.

Brent crude held near $109 a barrel after Ukraine's drone strikes set fire to an oil terminal and depot in St. Petersburg, Russia. A separate rise in tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz added to global supply concerns.

Premium paid over French counterparts has risen to almost £30 a megawatt hour, analysis by lobby group finds

British steelmakers have been pushed further behind European rivals on electricity costs after the US-Israeli war on Iran caused a surge in global gas prices.

The premium paid by the British industry over its French counterpart has risen to almost £30 a megawatt hour (MWh), its highest level in three years, according to analysis by the lobby group UK Steel.

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© Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Premium paid over French counterparts has risen to almost £30 a megawatt hour, analysis by lobby group finds

British steelmakers have been pushed further behind European rivals on electricity costs after the US-Israeli war on Iran caused a surge in global gas prices.

The premium paid by the British industry over its French counterpart has risen to almost £30 a megawatt hour (MWh), its highest level in three years, according to analysis by the lobby group UK Steel.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Antofagasta plc said a strike at its Centinela copper mine in Chile has ended after reaching a deal with unions. The company has not yet disclosed further details of the agreement. Centinela is closely watched given Chile's weight in global copper supply.

Firms turning crude oil into the ‘workhorse’ fuel stand to gain most despite economic fallout from record prices

• Business live – latest updates

Days after Donald Trump announced a deal to import Russian diesel into the US in an effort to lower soaring pump prices, the world’s energy watchdog has warned that the global fuel shortage will drag into 2027.

Trump’s temporary sanctions reprieve was criticised for offering “too little, too late” to temper the sky high pump prices triggered by the shutdown of war-damaged refineries in the Middle East and Russia – once the world’s second-largest diesel exporter behind the US.

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© Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

© Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

© Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

CHICAGO: Corn and wheat futures have rallied to their highest prices in more than three years, though the factors driving the gains for each crop remain distinctly different. Wheat futures settled Friday at $7.84 per bushel, up 3.1% on the day, after hitting an intraday peak of $7.9025, the highest level since Feb. 14, 2023. ... Read more

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