2026-01-14 18:13

LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Dozens of commercial ships have dropped anchor at a distance outside Iran's port limits in recent days, according to data and shipping sources, as tensions with the United States grow. Such movements were precautionary given the tensions amid ongoing protests in Iran, the shipping sources said. Port limits are significant because they run a higher risk of collateral damage in the event of air strikes on nearby infrastructure. Sign up here. The U.S. is withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a U.S. official said on Wednesday, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned its neighbours that it would hit American bases if Washington strikes Iran. The country relies on seaborne trade for imports using dry bulkers, general cargo and container ships as well as oil tankers for oil exports. The number of tankers moving into Iran's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a stretch of water along its Gulf and Caspian coasts that extends up to 24 miles and beyond local territorial limits of 12 nautical miles, jumped from 1 vessel to 36 tankers between January 6 and January 12, analysis by maritime intelligence solutions provider Pole Star Global shows. At least 25 bulk carriers were stationary in Iran's EEZ off the major port of Bandar Imam Khomeini, data from ship tracking and maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic showed. A further 25 ships including container and cargo vessels had dropped anchor further south off the port of Bandar Abbas, MarineTraffic data showed. Israel launched air strikes in June 2025 on targets in Bandar Abbas, where at least 70 people were killed in unexplained blasts in April and authorities did not rule out sabotage. As Iran's leadership tries to put down the worst unrest the Islamic Republic has faced, Tehran is seeking to deter U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters. The level of interference with GNSS navigation systems, which included GPS, had increased to "substantial" in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz area over the past week, the U.S. Navy's Combined Maritime Force said in a note on Monday. "This is highly likely due to force protection measures being taken in relation to the ongoing political tensions in the region. Vessels transiting this area could be impacted," the note said. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/dozens-ships-anchor-outside-irans-ports-us-tensions-rise-2026-01-14/

2026-01-14 17:53

SanDisk saw more than $7.1 mln in retail net flows on Monday Western Digital, Seagate shares more than tripled in 2025 Jan 14 (Reuters) - Retail investors ramped up buying of U.S. memory and data storage chipmakers in January, following 2025's strong momentum on expectations ‌that booming artificial intelligence infrastructure demand will tighten supply and lift prices. An acute global shortage of memory chips is forcing AI and consumer-electronics companies to fight for dwindling supplies, which is expected to support a multi-year backlog for memory chip makers. Sign up here. Samsung's (005930.KS) , opens new tab co-CEO TM Roh described the memory ‌chip shortage as "unprecedented" in an interview with Reuters earlier this month, echoing rivals who have warned that constraints could persist for months, if not years, as the AI infrastructure race continues to hog supplies. Data storage device maker SanDisk (SNDK.O) , opens new tab, whose shares have soared ‍about 65% so far in 2026, saw more than $7.1 million in retail inflows on Monday alone, the biggest one-day move on record, according to data from Vanda Research. Western Digital (WDC.O) , opens new tab has seen nearly $10 million in inflows in ⁠the first two weeks of January, putting it on course for the strongest monthly showing ‍since October 2025, while Seagate Technology (STX.O) , opens new tab recorded more than $2.1 million of inflows so far this year. 2025 was ‌a record ‌year for U.S. retail inflows as individual investors became a major force behind the rally on Wall Street. Total flows from mom-and-pop traders for these three stocks stood at more than $117.2 million last year. Micron Technology (MU.O) , opens new tab, one of the "Big Three" memory makers in the world alongside ⁠Samsung and SK Hynix (000660.KS) , opens new tab, is up ⁠18% so far in 2026 after rising 240% in 2025. "Memory chips are certainly among the themes that are exciting our customers these days. It's not unusual to see No. 3 Micron positioned among the leaders, but seeing ‍SanDisk in the No. 4 slot tells us that it is more than simply a coincidence," said Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers. Micron and SanDisk were among the five most active stocks on Interactive Brokers' platform over the past five trading days, Sosnick ‍said. SanDisk, whose shares have risen nearly ten-fold since its February 2025 listing, is the biggest holding of the actively managed Roundhill Meme Stock ETF (MEME.P) , opens new tab. https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/retail-traders-pile-into-memory-chipmakers-ai-boom-squeezes-supplies-lifts-2026-01-14/

2026-01-14 16:09

LONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The Bank of England is making progress towards ensuring that the financial system is safe in the event of a collapse of an institution outside the traditional banking sector, Deputy Governor Dave Ramsden said on Wednesday. The British central bank is considering what failure arrangements are needed for important stablecoins and it still has to do more to ensure that firms and the BoE are ready to wind up a clearing house safely, Ramsden said. Sign up here. "Looking ahead, it's important our resolution regime responds to changes in the financial system, including the growth of market-based finance and structural developments such as the introduction of new financial products," he said in the text of a speech he was due to give at King's College London. Ramsden said the BoE expected to launch a consultation later this year on ways to shut down safely a failing central counterparty (CCP). "We are working to enhance our own operational capacity and preparedness to execute a CCP resolution and we are working with firms to ensure they adequately progress their resolution capabilities," he said. The BoE has included in its stress tests of the financial sector CCPs such as ICE Clear Europe, LCH Limited, part of London Stock Exchange Group, and LME Clear, owned by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. The most recent stress test of CCPs concluded last month that the firms already held sufficient resources to absorb losses caused by an extreme global slowdown and default of some of their members. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/bank-england-working-protect-against-non-bank-failure-risk-ramsden-says-2026-01-14/

2026-01-14 12:42

MUMBAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - India’s central bank on Wednesday proposed changes to how banks calculate their net foreign exchange exposure and the capital needed to be set aside against potential FX risk. The proposals are intended to better align norms with global ones and ensure consistent implementation across regulated entities, the Reserve Bank of India said in a statement. The RBI has sought feedback on the rules, which are slated to go into effect from April 1, 2027. Sign up here. The central bank has proposed doing away with separate calculation of onshore and offshore net open positions for banks. The regulator has also said banks may exclude certain “structural” FX positions from the net open position calculations. These include foreign-currency denominated investments in subsidiaries, branches and affiliated but non-consolidated entities. The "shorthand" method for calculating FX risk will also be modified in alignment with global rules to treat open positions in gold separately. Banks will also need to include all accumulated surplus or un-remitted surplus of overseas operations under the net spot position, the RBI has proposed. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-central-bank-proposes-tweak-how-banks-compute-fx-risk-exposure-2026-01-14/

2026-01-14 12:42

Tankers hit by drones en route to CPC terminal in Black Sea Russia says a tanker is hit by Ukrainian drones Drones also damaged CPC export equipment in November MOSCOW, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan on Wednesday urged the U.S. and Europe to help secure the transport of oil following drone attacks on tankers heading to a Black Sea terminal on the Russian coast which handles one percent of global supply. Unidentified drones struck at least two oil tankers in the Black Sea on Tuesday, including one chartered by U.S. oil major Chevron (CVX.N) , opens new tab, as they sailed toward a terminal on the Russian coast to load oil from Kazakhstan. Sign up here. Kazakhstan's foreign ministry said in a statement that three tankers were hit en route to the marine terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in the Black Sea. On November 29, drones also attacked CPC's exporting equipment, resulting in a fall in oil exports via the outlet. "The increasing frequency of such incidents highlights the growing risks to the functioning of international energy infrastructure," the ministry said in a statement. "We therefore call upon our partners to engage in close cooperation to develop joint measures aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future," it added. Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday that the Matilda tanker, sailing under the Maltese flag, came under attack by two Ukrainian strike drones at a distance of about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the city of Anapa in Russia's Krasnodar region. Ukraine did not comment on the incident. Shareholders in CPC's 1,500-km (930-mile) pipeline include Kazakhstan's state-owned oil company KazMunayGas, Russia's Lukoil (LKOH.MM) , opens new tab and units of U.S. oil giants Chevron (CVX.N) , opens new tab and ExxonMobil . Russian terminals on the Black Sea handle more than 2% of global crude. Its waters, which are shared by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Turkey, as well as Russia and Ukraine, are also crucial for the shipment of grain. CPC alone accounts for around 80% of oil exports from Kazakhstan. https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/kazakhstan-urges-europe-us-help-secure-oil-transport-after-cpc-attack-2026-01-14/

2026-01-14 12:39

ZURICH, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Switzerland's Federal Council has adopted a final negotiating mandate for talks on a legally binding trade agreement with the United States, the government said on Wednesday. The decision by Switzerland's highest executive authority was made after consultation with parliament's foreign affairs committees and the country's cantons and follows a non-binding Swiss-U.S.-Liechtenstein "framework" agreed on November 14. Sign up here. This was aimed at reducing U.S. tariffs on Swiss imports and paving the way for a comprehensive agreement. Under that framework, Washington set a 15% ceiling on country-specific additional tariffs on Swiss imports, down from 39%, with the change applied retroactively from November 14. In return, Switzerland agreed to cut duties on a range of U.S. products, including fish and seafood and selected agricultural goods it deems non-sensitive. The Federal Council adopted a draft mandate on December 5, saying the main aim of the planned talks was to "consolidate" tariff relief for Swiss goods entering the United States and to stabilise bilateral trade relations. In Wednesday's update, the Swiss government said it had slightly clarified the mandate based on feedback, including by committing to consult — rather than merely inform — parliamentary committees and the cantons if new topics arise. https://www.reuters.com/business/switzerland-adopts-negotiating-mandate-us-trade-deal-2026-01-14/