Geopolitics & Iran Conflict
- Trump: United States to blockade ships entering or exiting Iranian ports on
April 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET
- Trump: If any of Iranian ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will
be immediately eliminated
- Unified command of Iranian armed forces spokesperson says Iran will decisively
implement a “permanent mechanism to control the Strait of Hormuz following US
threats”
- Trump will lose Babal-Mandab Strait if he takes any action against the Strait
of Hormuz, an informed source said (Tasnim News Agency)
- UKMTO: Access restrictions being enforced on Iranian ports
- Pakistan, Egypt & Turkey will continue talks with US & Iran in coming days to
bridge remaining gaps & reach deal to end war - Axios reporter on X
- Mediators from Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey are working to extend ceasefire for
45-60 days
- US officials are exploring a second face-to-face meeting with the Iranians
before the ceasefire expires - CNN, citing a source familiar with the matter
- US asked Iran to freeze uranium enrichment for 20 years, sources say; US and
Iran failed to reach a ceasefire deal before the April 21 deadline
- Iranian officials are studying abandoning uranium enrichment as a US condition
for ending the war – NY Post
- Trump on countries that will help with Hormuz: Details tomorrow
China Policy & Macro
- China Foreign Ministry, on Trump blockade of Strait of Hormuz: All sides
should be calm and exercise restraint
- Poll - China Q1 GDP growth forecast at 4.8% Y/Y (vs 4.4% in January poll), vs
growth of 4.5% in Q4
- Poll - China central bank set to cut weighted average banks' reserve
requirement ratio (RRR) by 20 bps in Q3 2026
- PBOC: prelim data shows that as of end-March 2026, China’s outstanding total
social financing reached CNY 456.46 trillion, up 7.9% Y/Y
Energy & Commodities
- OPEC sees world oil demand in Q2 2026 at 105.07 million bpd (vs.105.57 million
bpd previous forecast)
- OPEC leaves 2026 and 2027 full-year forecasts for global oil demand growth
unchanged
Markets & Infrastructure
- HKEX - launches HKEX KRX semiconductor index and HKEX tech & US tech 100 index
Technology & Corporate
- Alibaba Cloud updates DataWorks API free quotas, introduces pay-as-you-go
