🌕 Gold prices rose by 5% over the past two days. BBG reports on the resurgence of demand from China as the market rebounds following the holidays. For more details, visit the article here.

⚠️🇺🇸 Google must sell two of its businesses that assist websites in buying, selling, and managing online advertising, following a judge's ruling that the company illegally monopolized these markets, announced the U.S. Department of Justice. For more details, visit the article here.

🚫🛢🇪🇺🇷🇺 The European Commission aims to completely ban imports of Russian gas into the EU by 2028. A roadmap for phasing out imports of Russian energy sources will be unveiled on May 6. The comprehensive plan for the total ban on Russian gas imports to EU countries is set to be presented in June, according to BBG.

⚠️ NATO and the EU are initiating programs to prepare for a military conflict with Russia, according to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Meanwhile, Britain is developing an updated version of its action plan in the event of a war with a hostile state, as reported by The Daily Telegraph.

⚠️ Export prices for Russian steel have fallen to levels not seen since the crisis of 2022, according to a report by Kommersant.

🚨 Hong Kong's central bank has conducted interventions in the foreign exchange market for the first time in a long while to maintain the trading band for the HKD against the USD, as established by the central bank.

⚠️🇹🇷 The Turkish lira has hit a historic low against the dollar, with the exchange rate reaching 38.6 (USDTRY = 38.6).

⚠️🛢🇺🇸 Amid a significant drop in oil prices, hedge funds are selling energy sector stocks at the fastest pace in a decade, according to Goldman Sachs.

⚠️🇷🇺 The acquisition of Azbuka Vkusa adds to the already high uncertainty regarding dividends for Magnit in 2024, according to experts from Vedomosti.

🚫✴️🇰🇪 A Kenyan High Court has ordered World to delete biometric data of local users, ruling that the data collection violates privacy rights. The judge has also prohibited World from further biometric data collection in Kenya.

🚀 Bernstein predicts that by 2029, corporations will purchase an additional BTC worth $330 billion.

⚠️🇷🇺 Russia's GDP fell for the first time since 2022, with a seasonal adjustment indicating a 0.3% decline in the first quarter of 2025, following a 1.3% growth in the last quarter of 2024, according to Raiffeisenbank analysts. This downturn could influence a potential reduction in the key interest rate during the summer, as reported by Vedomosti.

🚨 OpenAI has decided against transitioning into a commercial organization. The company will maintain its focus on public benefit, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. For more details, visit the full article here: WSJ.

🥔 Prices for potatoes in Russia have surged 2.8 times due to a shortage, according to a report by Ъ.

🇦🇹 Raiffeisen Bank International AG (RBI) is moving forward with the sale of its Russian subsidiary, Raiffeisenbank. The bank is in discussions with several interested parties, according to a press release from the group.

⚠️ The Moscow Exchange Index (IMOEX) experienced a decline of 1% during the morning session, dropping from a previous increase of 0.6%.

🌕 After months of buying gold, speculators have shifted to selling. Over the past two weeks, gold ETF assets have decreased by 18 tons, bringing the total to 2,770 tons. — BBG

✨ More than half of all cryptocurrencies launched since 2021 have ceased to exist, according to a Coingecko report. Specifically, 52.7% of these digital assets have failed, highlighting the volatility and challenges within the cryptocurrency market.

🚨 Russia's experts suggest that the cutoff price for oil to replenish the National Wealth Fund could be reduced to $50 per barrel for Urals. If the budget rule remains unchanged, there are risks of rapid depletion of the Fund and a strengthening of the ruble, experts warned. For more details, visit Izvestia.

🚨🛢️🇷🇺 Brent crude has fallen below $60, while Urals dipped to $50. The Russian economy is increasingly reliant on oil prices, not as a growth driver but as a risk factor. In spring 2025, Brent prices reached their lowest since 2021, with Urals trading around $50 on some days, below the budgetary cutoff price. Analysts warn of lost revenue and potential threats to the Russian economy, suggesting new tax measures may be necessary. — Izvestia

🚨 Russian shareholders of T-TECHNOLOGIES have approved dividends for 2024, set at 32 rubles per share. The cutoff date for eligibility is May 16.