Top-of-mind news headlines as we start the week:
— The US expanded financial sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine, cutting off transactions with Russia’s central bank; Russia hiked key interest rate to 20% (from 9%) and shut its stock exchange.
— Crude oil prices (West Texas Intermediate) rebounded to $95 per barrel on Ukrainian conflict; up from $75 at the start of 2022.
— China’s economic growth is forecast to slow to around 5% for 2022, per the World Bank, on weaker domestic demand and global supply shortages.
— The CDC loosened Covid-19 masking guidelines for some 70% of US population, as the surge in the variant Omicron subsides.
— The deep ocean is being increasingly looked at as the next economic frontier, including for mining precious metals and working with newly discovered deep-sea organisms that could play a role in carbon sequestration.
Disclaimer: Clicking on any of the above links will take you away from the LNW web page and to the source page. While we believe the information in these articles is relevant, we cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness.