The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, topped $100 a barrel early Thursday, just days after it spiked near $120 in the latest jolts to financial markets and the global economy as a whole.
Oil prices shot more than 9% higher as supply concerns worsened with Iranian attacks on commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. benchmark crude oil jumped to about $95 a barrel.

The latest attacks marked an escalation in Iran’s campaign aimed at generating enough global economic pain to pressure the United States and Israel to end the war that started 12 days ago. But there were no signs that the conflict was subsiding.

Iran has targeted oil fields and refineries in Gulf Arab nations and effectively stopped cargo traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all traded oil passes.

In response, the International Energy Agency agreed Wednesday to release 400 million barrels of oil, the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, in a bid to counter the war’s effects on energy markets. The U.S. planned to release 172 million barrels of oil next week from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to combat steep prices.
Also Read | Explained: Why crude prices rose 9% despite IEA announcing largest release since 1970s
The IEA’s announcement came a day after energy ministers from the Group of Seven — the leading industrialized nations of Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain — met in Paris to look at ways to bring down prices.
But the continued strife and uncertainty have fueled speculation prices could push still higher.

Markets in Asia fell back, with Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 losing 1.5% to 54,177.15. In South Korea, the Kospi lost 1% to 5,552.01, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gave up 1.2% to 25,577.71.

The Shanghai Composite index shed 0.5% to 4,110.20 and in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.6% to 8,601.70.

U.S. futures lost more than 1% and the dollar climbed to 159 Japanese yen while the euro fell to $1.1538.

On Wednesday, U.S. stocks were little changed as the S&P 500 edged 0.1% lower, to 6,775.80, for a second day of modest moves following a wild stretch caused by the war with Iran. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.6% to 47,417.27, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1% to 22,716.13.

Since the start of the war, sharp moves for oil prices have triggered swings up and down for financial markets worldwide, sometimes by the hour. Oil prices briefly spiked to their highest levels since 2022 this week because of the possibility that production in the Middle East could be blocked for a long time, which in turn raised worries about a surge of debilitating inflation for the global economy.

A report released Wednesday showed U.S. consumers paid prices for groceries, gasoline and other costs of living that were 2.4% higher in February than a year earlier.

That’s the same level as the month before and better than the 2.5% that economists expected, but it remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target and doesn’t include the spike in gasoline prices this month due to the war.

High inflation combined with a stagnating economy would create a worst-case scenario called “stagflation” that the Federal Reserve has no good tools to fix. Stagflation fears are rising not just because of higher oil prices but also because of weakness in hiring by U.S. employers.

Because of the spike for oil prices, traders have pushed back forecasts for when the Fed could resume its cuts to interest rates. President Donald Trump has been angrily calling for such cuts, which would give the economy and job market a boost but also potentially worsen inflation.

Bitkub Academy has announced that it will be the first cryptocurrency exchange in Thailand to list RLUSD, Ripple’s enterprise-grade USD-pegged stablecoin, paired with the Thai Baht (THB).

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Key Points

• Suchart Pavasiriporn, CEO of Bitkub Academy: Emphasizes Thailand’s role in the Web3 revolution, advocating for education on blockchain’s impact on global finance to empower individuals in managing their financial futures amidst the growing relevance of digital assets.
• Fiona Murray, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Ripple: Highlights Thailand’s significance in digital asset innovation, announcing a partnership with Bitkub to launch RLUSD, a stablecoin designed for retail and institutional users. The goal is to ensure trust and compliance while enhancing financial transactions.
• Market Impact and Advisory: RLUSD, with a market cap over $1.5 billion, showcases institutional utility and Ripple’s mission to streamline global financial networks. A disclaimer stresses the high risks of cryptocurrency investments, urging investors to conduct thorough research based on their risk profiles.

The Vision of Bitkub Academy in the Web3 Era

Suchart Pavasiriporn, CEO of Bitkub Academy, emphasizes the potential of the Thai community to lead in the Web3 revolution. He notes that Bitkub Academy is committed to transforming this potential into reality by providing in-depth, practical knowledge about how blockchain technology is reshaping global finance.

The goal is to equip individuals with the insights and confidence necessary to navigate a financial landscape increasingly influenced by digital assets. Pavasiriporn believes that empowering people with this education will enable them to take charge of their financial futures, essential in an era where digital currencies are becoming ubiquitous.

“At Bitkub Group, we have always believed that education is the foundation of real adoption. Our goal is to give our users more than just a trading platform. We are giving them practical tools for global payments and opening the door to new types of digital ownership through real-world asset tokenization.”

Atthakrit Chimplapibul, Co-founder of Bitkub Group

Collaborative Innovations in Thailand’s Digital Asset Market

Fiona Murray, Managing Director, Asia Pacific at Ripple, highlights Thailand’s significant role in digital asset innovation within Southeast Asia. The collaboration between Ripple and Bitkub Exchange is aimed at introducing RLUSD, a stablecoin designed to meet both retail and institutional needs. This partnership emphasizes the importance of trust and compliance in the market, ensuring that users have access to a stable asset. With RLUSD’s market cap already exceeding $1.5 billion, Murray points to its use in near-instant settlements and tokenized real-world assets as evidence of its institutional utility. This initiative aligns with Ripple’s overarching mission to facilitate seamless value transfer across fragmented financial networks.

Disclaimer

Cryptocurrency and digital tokens carry significant risks; therefore, investors should approach these assets with caution. It is crucial to perform thorough research and invest according to one’s risk profile to mitigate potential losses.

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Q4: 2026-03-05 Earnings Summary

EPS of -$1.35 misses by $0.54

 | Revenue of $163.95M (3.10% Y/Y) misses by $501.80K

a.k.a. Brands Holding Corp. (AKA) UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference March 11, 2026 4:00 PM EDT

Company Participants

Ciaran Long – Chief Executive Officer

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Conference Call Participants

Jay Sole – UBS Investment Bank, Research Division

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Presentation

Jay Sole
UBS Investment Bank, Research Division

All right. Well, hello again. I’m Jay Sole, UBS’ retailing department stores and specialty softlines analyst. And welcome again to the 2026 UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference. Really excited to have a.k.a. Brands here again to talk to us. I have to say that there’s a very big fan in my household of Princess Polly and it’s my 15-year-old she loves it. So I think that…

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Ciaran Long
Chief Executive Officer

We appreciate your 15-year-old and we appreciate you and your credit card.

Jay Sole
UBS Investment Bank, Research Division

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That’s right. So…

Ciaran Long
Chief Executive Officer

It’s great for us.

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Question-and-Answer Session

Jay Sole
UBS Investment Bank, Research Division

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So there’s a really good story here. And I think that we are going to dive into a little bit. But maybe just before we kind of dig into some of the nuances of why my kid loves your brand. Let’s just talk about high level the business model. It gives us a little bit of overview for anybody who might not be totally up to speed on the company and what you guys do, just maybe start there.

Ciaran Long
Chief Executive Officer

Thanks for having me. Delighted to be here. Yes. So at a.k.a., we’re a group of next-generation fashion brands, very much focused on that Gen Z millennial consumer. We started off all of the brands very much direct to consumer. And over the last couple of years, we started bringing the brands into wholesale, into stores and really just putting product in front of customers wherever they are, certainly, very early days as

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

General Motors has issued a recall affecting more than 17,000 vehicles over a rear toe link fracture that increases the risk of a crash.

The recall from General Motors applies to about 17,050 Buicks due to a rear toe link fracture that can cause loss of vehicle control, increasing the collision risk, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a recall report.

Certain 2012–2013 Buick Regal Turbo and GS trim-level vehicles that were sold or registered in more than 20 “high corrosion” states are included in the recall. More specifically, about 4,751 2012 Buick Regals and about 12,299 2013 Buick Regals.

GM TAKES $7B HIT AFTER SHIFTING EV STRATEGY DUE TO SLOWING DEMAND

The “high corrosion” states include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Vehicles in Washington, D.C., were also included.

Only about 1% of the vehicles included in the recall may have a defect, which was caused by a supplier’s failure to properly apply corrosion protection.

General Motors said no injuries have been reported in connection with the issue that triggered the recall, which was submitted on Tuesday.

TOYOTA RECALLS 550,000 VEHICLES OVER SEAT DEFECT

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General Motors dealerships will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners at no cost. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on April 13.

The recall expands on multiple others the automaker has filed since late last month about the same issue.