Ship tracking data revealed that fewer vessels traversed the Strait of Hormuz Friday than they did earlier in the week. This was hours after an Iranian-operated vessel fired on a Taiwanese ship. U.N.'shipping 'agency temporarily suspended its voluntary scheme for evacuating hundreds of stranded vessels and thousands of seafarers out of the Gulf, after the ship was damaged by the attack near the Omani side. Nevertheless, data from LSEG's and MarineTraffic's ship tracking showed that at least four oil tankers, including three very large crude carrier ships, each of which can carry a maximum 2 million barrels, had entered the...

China Eastern Airlines announced on Friday that it will purchase '25 A330 Neo jets from Airbus at a catalogue price of $9.35 billion. The Chinese carrier is expanding its widebody fleet in order to service more international routes. China Eastern said that it would deliver the aircraft in batches between 2029 and 2033 in a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The two companies had signed a purchase agreement earlier in the day in Shanghai. The filing stated that the transaction would be used to upgrade and replace the existing aircraft models and supplement the company's?future transportation capacity. The A330neo,...

The storm that hit central New Zealand Friday knocked out power for 'thousands' of homes, caused flooding, and triggered landslides. MetService, the national?weather forecaster, issued multiple severe weather alerts as a system of low pressure swept across Canada. The warning was issued after wind speeds?exceeding?150 kph were recorded in some parts of the country over night. The?storm caused 200 flights to be cancelled in and out of Wellington. The airport said that "most flights into and out of Wellington Airport today have been cancelled, and most but not all scheduled flights tonight have also 'been cancelled". The winds are expected...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or on individual stocks. AIR FRANCE KLM: The Franco-Dutch carrier?Air France KLM?has successfully issued EUR 500 million senior notes under?its EMTN Program?with a 5-year maturity and a fixed coupon annual of 4.250%. These notes will be used primarily to fund general corporate purposes. LE SLIP FRANCAIS: French underwear manufacturer Le Slip Francais plans to trade its shares on the Paris stock exchange on Bastille Day, July 14. Michelin: The French tire manufacturer Michelin plans to phase out its BFGoodrich tire factory in Tuscaloosa in...

After a vessel in the Gulf of Oman was attacked, the United Nations' shipping agency paused an evacuation effort on Thursday to move hundreds of stranded vessels?and thousands of seafarers through the Strait of Hormuz. "I was informed of an attack on a vessel that passed through the Strait of Hormuz today, in the Gulf of Oman." The vessel was not evacuated under the IMO framework," Arsenio?Dominguez, Secretary General of?the U.N. International Maritime Organizatio (IMO), stated in a press release. "I've decided to temporarily pause the implementation of this plan in order to confirm that the necessary safety measures continue...

European shares closed at a record-high on Thursday. Leading the charge were 'healthcare stocks,' while a resurgent AI rallies triggered by strong "forecasts" from Micron and Qualcomm provided early support. The pan-European STOXX 600 ended the session 0.8% higher, at a new record close of 640.21. It had previously reached an intraday record of 642.09 during the session. This was the largest one-day increase in nearly two weeks. The index was boosted by 1.5% in healthcare stocks. Bayer topped the STOXX600 after a court ruling in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that thousands of lawsuits were dismissed accusing the...

Some airlines have resumed flights to certain parts of the Middle East, as diplomatic efforts intensify to resolve the conflict that erupted after the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. However, many carriers continue to suspend flights, causing global travel disruptions. The following is a list of the current status of flights by alphabetical order. AEGEAN AIRLINES Thessaloniki-Tel Aviv flights were cancelled by Greece's largest airline until June 26. Erbil, Baghdad and Dubai flights are all cancelled until September 30. AIRBALTIC AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, has canceled flights to Tel Aviv and Dubai until the 28th of June. AIR CANADA Canadian Airlines...

The German state-owned rail company Deutsche Bahn aims to achieve 80% punctuality for 'long-distance' traffic by 2035. This is when the company hopes to complete a years-long reorganization and network overhaul. Evelyn Palla, the chief executive of the company, presented this goal to its supervisory board Wednesday as part a 10-year plan. Palla stated that the group would abandon earlier, growth-driven plans and focus on "realistic facts" instead. Germany's rail champion has become a symbol of national frustration. Deutsche Bahn has stated that in?2025 only a little over 60% of its long-distance train services will be on time. Deutsche Bahn...

Ryanair has "reluctantly", allowed parents to sit free with their children from Thursday. The change was said to be revenue neutral and came two weeks after the british competition watchdog launched an investigation into its policy. The?largest airline in Europe by passenger numbers required that adults traveling with children between the ages of 2 and 11 pay a "family seats" fee, which allowed up to four children per adult to sit together. The Competition and Markets Authority in Britain said that the surcharge usually costs around PS8 ($10.70), each way, and could 'constitute' forcing parents to pay Ryanair for its...

The Indian equity benchmarks posted their third consecutive 'weekly' gain on Thursday. This is the longest winning streak in seven months. Crude oil prices dropped to levels seen before the Iran-War and recent measures taken to bolster rupees and attract overseas inflows improved sentiment. The Nifty 50 gained 0.14% and reached 24,056. The BSE Sensex also rose 0.14%, reaching 77100.47. The indices had each risen by over 1% during the session before some profit-taking in the last hour. Investors trimmed 'their positions late in the day as markets are closed on Friday," said Ankur Punj. Wealth Brent crude dropped 1.4%...

EasyJet, the British budget airline, rejected on Thursday a fourth takeover offer from an American investment firm Castlelake, which was sweetened to PS4.93 billion ($6.50 Billion). However, it said that it would give limited access of commercial information to the bidder in order to?draw a higher price. EasyJet released a statement saying that the Board believed giving Castlelake limited access to commercial information, as Castlelake requested in the letter containing the Fourth Proposal could?produce an attractive proposal. Castlelake had previously offered PS6.25 for each share. The PS6.50 per share proposal was higher. According to a Financial Times article from last...

European shares opened higher on Thursday, led by gains in technology stocks. Micron and Qualcomm's strong forecasts assuaged fears about the sector's inflated valuations, while oil prices eased further. By 0711 GMT, the?pan European STOXX 600 was up by 0.27% to 636.88. The AI rally is back on the agenda - as U.S. chipmakers Micron & Qualcomm released strong forecasts. This temporarily calmed investor concerns that a rally of global AI-linked shares had gone too far. European?tech shares, which rose by 30% in the last quarter, led the gains on the benchmark. Infineon and STMicroelectronics chipmakers gained 5,2% and 3,7%...