Economy

Middle East Crisis  Economic Impact
German Economy Stagnate for Fourth Year in a Row

In the wake of the war in Iran, the German economy is expected to head into a fourth year of stagnation, the Financial Times and Reuters write, citing sources with insight. Growth is expected to land at 0.5 percent in 2026, down from a previous forecast of 1 percent.

– Stagnation is the new normal, says Clemens Fuest, head of the Ifo think tank, to the FT.

Commerzbank describes 2026 as “another lost year in terms of growth”.

Middle East Crisis  Strait of Hormuz
Oil falls double digits on Hormuz announcement

The oil price is falling sharply after Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced on X that the country is opening the Strait of Hormuz to all commercial traffic, writes Dagens Næringsliv.

– It is obviously a fairly intense relief rally. It is a violent price movement in a few minutes, says Ole Hvalbye, commodity analyst at SEB, to E24.

Shortly after the announcement, at 15.05 Swedish time, WTI oil fell to 82.5 dollars per barrel. That is a 10 percent drop, writes AFP.

The world's richest
Adani passes Ambani as Asia's richest

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is now Asia's richest person, writes international media. The shift comes after oil prices pressured rival Mukesh Ambani, who has seen around 17 billion dollars go up in smoke.

– The effect of global crude prices and geopolitical issues is clearly visible on Mukesh Ambani's operations, says Kranthi Bathini, head of strategy at Wealth Mills Securities, to the Financial Times.

At the same time, Adani's wealth has increased by about $8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

AB Volvo's future
Volvo advertising in China receives criticism: "Supports the Communist Party"onomy

Automaker Volvo Cars' Chinese campaign in connection with the company's 99th anniversary features media profile Hu Xijin, writes Resumé. He was previously editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times and supported the imprisonment of Gui Minhai.

China expert Ola Wong, a journalist at Kvartal, compares it to Volvo Cars in the US having hired Maga profile Tucker Carlson.

- He has long been a profiled, quite aggressive nationalist who supports the Communist Party, he tells the trade magazine.

Journalist and China expert Jojje Olsson writes in Expressen that Hu is one of China's most notorious propagandists. He has defended prison camps and praised the boycott of H&M after the company expressed concern about working conditions in the region.

Volvo Cars writes that they are "aware that a collaboration with a public figure in China has attracted attention."