Author: Pritam Barman

UK gas exports jumped this week as traders capitalized on a wider continental price premium, lifting flows through the UK–Belgium Interconnector to the highest level in more than a year, according to grid data. A day-ahead price gap of more than €4 a megawatt-hour between Europe’s Amsterdam benchmark and UK prices marked the biggest spread since August 2024, broker data compiled by Bloomberg show. With ample supply on hand, the economics favored routing volumes to the European Union, where spot prices commanded a stronger bid. UK gas exports climb as spreads open across the Channel The widening differential between European…

Markerstudy IPO preparations are underway as Pollen Street Group Ltd. begins early work on a potential listing, according to people familiar with the matter. The buyout firm has opened preliminary talks with investment banks, with London among the venues under consideration. A deal under review could value the business at more than £3 billion ($3.9 billion), one person said. Representatives for Pollen Street declined to comment, and Markerstudy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Markerstudy IPO: Early Talks With Banks Begin The Markerstudy IPO is in an exploratory phase, with people familiar describing early discussions about structure,…

Airbnb Instacart grocery delivery is coming to select U.S. listings as the home-sharing company tests a three-month “kitchen stocking” pilot that lets guests order groceries ahead of and during their stay—without leaving the Airbnb app. Starting Jan. 5, guests booked at participating rentals in Phoenix, Orlando, and Los Angeles will be able to place Instacart orders up to three weeks before check-in. Hosts who opt in can receive and put away the groceries before guests arrive. During the pilot, Airbnb will pay hosts $25 for every completed order and award a $100 bonus for their first one, according to an…

Iran missing uranium is raising concern at the UN nuclear watchdog, which says it has been unable to verify the country’s near-bomb-grade stockpile for months following strikes on key sites. In a new assessment, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said world powers face a serious blind spot. According to documents seen by Bloomberg, the agency hasn’t had access to verify nuclear material in Iran since mid-June, creating a prolonged gap in oversight. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned that the lack of visibility into the fuel inventory is “long overdue” for verification. He added that Iran’s failure to…

OPEC oil market surplus marked the third quarter after the producers’ group reversed last month’s deficit call, citing stronger-than-expected U.S. supply and higher output from the coalition itself. In its latest monthly report, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said world oil supply exceeded demand by 500,000 barrels a day in Q3. That contrasts with a 400,000-barrel daily shortfall the group estimated just a month earlier, underscoring how quickly the global balance pivoted. The Vienna-based secretariat lifted estimates for non-OPEC+ supply by 890,000 barrels a day for the period, with just over half of that change driven by the…

UK bitcoin money laundering took center stage in London as a judge sentenced Qian Zhimin to 11 years and eight months for laundering proceeds from a vast Ponzi scheme in China, a case anchored by a record seizure of more than 61,000 bitcoin now valued at over $6 billion. British police say the haul is the largest bitcoin seizure worldwide, underscoring the scale of criminal proceeds moved through cryptocurrency. The sentencing on Tuesday followed Qian’s guilty pleas in September to two money-laundering charges. In court, Judge Sally-Ann Hales told Qian, who wept in the dock, “You were the architect of…

Google investment in Germany will reach €5.5 billion over the next four years, a major push that expands computing resources and operations across the country as Europe races to build capacity for artificial intelligence. Announced Tuesday in Berlin alongside German federal ministers, the plan centers on two new data centers in the Frankfurt region, a core hub for cloud services, even as Google declined to disclose facility sizes. The pledge arrives amid a flurry of high-profile infrastructure commitments across the continent. It underscores how Germany—and Frankfurt in particular—has become a focal point in the competition to host data-heavy workloads from…

Largest UK crypto seizure drives a landmark sentence in London. A judge at Southwark Crown Court handed 47-year-old Zhimin Qian an 11-year, 8-month prison term after she admitted possessing and transacting in criminal property linked to a multibillion-dollar fraud whose proceeds were moved into Bitcoin. British police previously seized 61,000 Bitcoin in the case — the largest UK crypto seizure — now valued at about $6.4 billion. Qian, described in court as a “super villain,” built a life of luxury in Britain under the false identity “Yadi Zhang” after evading Chinese authorities. Her sentencing closes a dramatic pursuit that stretched…

US stocks slide on Tuesday morning as large‑cap AI names came under pressure and traders weighed fresh signs of a cooling labor market. The S&P 500 opened 0.2% lower, led by losses in technology and communications services. The Nasdaq 100 fell 0.4%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.2%. A pullback in mega‑cap semiconductors set the tone. Nvidia Corp. was the biggest early drag on the S&P 500 after SoftBank Group Corp. sold a $5.83 billion stake to fund other AI investments. Against a two‑day rally, several strategists warned that recent gains could be fleeting, and US stocks…

Russian oil exports fell to 3.45 million barrels a day in the four weeks to Nov. 9 — the lowest in two months — as seaborne shipments dropped for a third week and prices weakened, eroding Moscow’s oil income, according to vessel‑tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The four‑week pace declined by about 130,000 barrels a day versus the period to Nov. 2. The setback in Russian oil exports coincided with softer crude prices and a buildup of undelivered cargoes at sea. About 35% of barrels loaded over the past four weeks left Russia without a declared final destination. Many tankers…