The European Union has removed seven Russian banks from the Swift messaging system that supports global transactions as part of its sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, the Official Gazette of the European Union said on Wednesday. The banks, which will be given 10 days to phase out …

Oil prices jumped above $110 a barrel on Wednesday, extending their rally since Russia invaded Ukraine seven days ago, amid expectations that the market will remain in short supply for months following the imposition of tough sanctions on Moscow and the mass exodus of major companies’ investments in Russian oil …

The World Bank on Wednesday announced the suspension of all programs in Russia and Belarus with immediate effect in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and “hostilities against the people of Ukraine.” The multilateral development bank said it had not approved any new loans or investments in Russia since …

Ratings agency Fitch on Wednesday cut Russia’s sovereign rating six notches to junk, saying Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine had made Russia’s debt-servicing uncertainty and would weaken its economy in a “massive shock” to its creditworthiness. Russia’s financial markets have plunged into turmoil over its attack on Ukraine, …

Ratings agency Moody’s said Thursday that it has downgraded Russia’s long-term and unsecured credit rating to B3 from Baa3, attributing this to tough sanctions imposed by Western countries on Moscow. The agency added that the ratings are still under review for a further downgrade.

OPEC+ has agreed to stick to its existing output plan which entails 400K barrel per day hikes to oil output quotas each month in April, Reuters reported citing sources. The meeting of OPEC+ member nation oil ministers has now ended, Reuters reported. OPEC+ did not discuss increasing output quotas at …

Employment in the US private sector rose by 475,000 in February, monthly data published by the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Research Institute revealed on Wednesday. That was well above economist forecasts for an employment gain of 378,000. Meanwhile, January’s estimate of employment change saw a substantial upgrade to show a …

Oil prices rose on Wednesday as fears of supply disruptions mounted in the wake of massive sanctions on Russia’s banks as fighting intensified in Ukraine, while traders scrambled to search for alternative oil sources in an already tight market. Brent crude futures rose more than $8 to touch a peak …

Palladium extended its rally for the third consecutive session on Wednesday after sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine exacerbated supply concerns, while gold fell as US bond yields and the dollar rose. Palladium rose one percent, recording $2,604.61, after rising on Tuesday to its highest level since …

European shares fell on Wednesday as commodity prices surged, fueling inflation fears when sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine took a toll on sentiment. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was down 0.5%, declining for the third consecutive session. The European oil and gas index jumped 1.6 percent, supported …