Posts by Mark Darwin
Baltic Exchange Shipping Insights
Capesize The Capesize market trended downward this week, with sentiment consistently softening, particularly in the Pacific. C5 rates came under pressure as iron ore volumes from West Australia declined. While coal cargoes from East Australia offered some support, they weren’t enough to offset the broader weakening. C5 rates steadily fell from $11.00 early in the…
Read MoreUS Federal Reserve’s Daly says employment, inflation risks roughly in balance
Officials see slower economic growth, higher inflation and rising unemployment, and hold divided views on the outlook for interest rates, according to their latest projections Published Mon, Jun 23, 2025 · 06:08 AM [NEW YORK] US Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco president Mary Daly said she sees the central bank’s monetary policy stance as…
Read MoreSustainable investors hold their ground as energy, defence stocks surge
[SINGAPORE] Regional wars, tariff threats and the US’ pro-fossil fuel policies have sent defence and energy stocks soaring in 2025, but not all is lost for investors committed to sustainable and responsible investing, experts told The Business Times. Markets were closed on Jun 22, when US President Donald Trump ordered an attack on Iranian nuclear…
Read MoreInvestors brace for oil price spike, rush to havens after US bombs Iran nuclear sites
A US attack on Iranian nuclear sites could lead to a knee-jerk reaction in global markets when they reopen, sending oil prices higher and triggering a rush to safety, investors said, as they assessed how the latest escalation of tensions would ripple through the global economy. The attack, which was announced by President Donald Trump…
Read MoreTrump pledge of quick China magnet flows has yet to materialise
[HONG KONG] Almost 10 days since US President Donald Trump declared a “done” trade deal with Beijing, US companies remain largely in the dark on when they will receive crucial magnets from China, and whether Washington, in turn, will allow a host of other exports to resume. While there has been a trickle of required…
Read MoreUS Federal Reserve split on whether to hedge on inflation, or proceed with cuts
[WASHINGTON] The close split at the US Federal Reserve over whether to keep hedging against inflation risks or move forward faster with rate cuts came through on Friday (Jun 20) in the first public comments from policymakers following a decision this week to hold borrowing costs steady for now. Rising tariffs are expected to raise…
Read MoreUS: Stocks end week mostly lower
[NEW YORK] Wall Street stocks mostly fell on Friday (Jun 20) amid weakness in some semiconductor shares as markets weighed the latest developments in the ongoing war between Iran and Israel. Markets rose after US President Donald Trump’s remarks on Thursday on the Middle East, allowing for up to two weeks before possible US military…
Read MoreWhat I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Company
Starting Hawke Media over a decade ago was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. If I could go back in time and give myself advice, there are crucial insights I’d share that would have saved me years of learning the hard way. The most important truth about entrepreneurship is this: as a…
Read MoreMasayoshi Son pitches US$1 trillion US AI hub to TSMC, Trump team
[TOKYO] SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son is seeking to team up with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing to realise what could be his biggest bet yet – a trillion-dollar industrial complex in Arizona to build robots and artificial intelligence. Son envisions a version of the vast manufacturing hub of China’s Shenzhen that would bring back high-tech manufacturing…
Read MoreShipping firm Maersk temporarily pauses Haifa port calls
Published Fri, Jun 20, 2025 · 06:06 PM [COPENHAGEN] Container shipping company Maersk said on Friday (Jun 20) it had temporarily paused vessel calls at Israel’s Haifa port, amid the country’s escalating conflict with Iran. The Danish company said it had not experienced any further disruptions to its scheduled operations in the region. Haifa port,…
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