QatarEnergy LNG Force Majeure Declared Amid Iran War 2026

QatarEnergy LNG force majeure declaration on select long-term LNG supply contracts represents one of the most significant developments in global energy markets since the Iran war began on February 28 2026 — with the world’s largest LNG exporter formally invoking the extraordinary circumstances provision that releases it from contractual delivery obligations it cannot meet due […]

Gold Price Falls Inflation: Dives to 4-Month Low 2026

Gold price falls inflation data has pushed the precious metal to its lowest point in 4 months — with spot gold diving to a level not seen since late 2025 as stronger than expected inflation readings in the United States have reignited Federal Reserve interest rate hike expectations that are the single most powerful short-term […]

IMF Global Inflation US-Israel Iran War: Output at Risk

IMF global inflation US-Israel Iran war concerns have now reached an official warning level as the world’s top financial institution raised alarms over the conflict’s deepening economic consequences. The International Monetary Fund said it was monitoring the impacts of the war in Iran on global inflation and output, and confirmed that no countries had so […]

Europe Japan Strait of Hormuz Shipping: Nations Ready to Act

Europe Japan Strait of Hormuz shipping readiness is now officially on record after six of the world’s most powerful economies issued a landmark joint statement pledging to act. Leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan signalled their readiness to support efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the […]

Gilani Austerity Measures Pakistan: Senate Saves Rs700m

Gilani austerity measures Pakistan have officially taken effect at the Senate Secretariat. Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani directed wide-ranging austerity measures projecting a reduction of more than 50 percent in the Senate Secretariat’s remaining budgetary utilisation for the current fiscal year, translating into savings of approximately Rs700 to Rs750 million. The Gilani austerity measures Pakistan […]

Current Account Posts Surplus of $427m in Feb 2026

Current account surplus Pakistan — Pakistan recorded a current account surplus of $427 million in February 2026, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This is the highest surplus recorded since March 2025 — and marks the second consecutive monthly surplus, following a revised $60 million surplus in January 2026, signaling […]

Canada Sheds More Than 100,000 Jobs in First Two Months of Year

The Canada labour market shed more than 100,000 jobs in the first two months of 2026 — a brutal opening to the year that has confirmed economists’ worst fears about the combined impact of US tariffs, consumer confidence collapse, and the spillover effects of the Middle East war on Canadian export industries. Canada labour market […]

Judge Says ‘No Evidence’ to Justify Federal Reserve Probe

A federal judge ruled on March 12, 2026, that there was no evidence to justify a Trump administration investigation into the Federal Reserve — delivering a significant early victory for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and reinforcing the legal protections around the US Federal Reserve legal case for central bank independence. The US Federal Reserve […]

Retailers in Islamabad Pass Oil Price Surge on to Consumers

The fuel price impact on consumers Pakistan has become acutely visible in Islamabad’s retail markets — where shopkeepers, transporters, and service providers have already passed the full weight of the government’s Rs55 per litre petrol price increase on to ordinary citizens within days of the hike taking effect. The fuel price impact on consumers Pakistan […]

Fuel Price Hike Adds to Ramazan Inflation Burden

Pakistan’s fuel price hike of Rs55 per litre announced on March 7, 2026, has added a severe new burden to Ramazan households already struggling with rising food and transport costs. The fuel price hike Pakistan pushed petrol to Rs321.17 per litre and High-Speed Diesel to Rs335.86 — one of the largest single fuel price hike […]

South Asian Chronicle

Category: Business & Economy