Russian Central Bank Reduces Interest Rates for Seventh Consecutive Time:
On March 20, the Russian Central Bank decided to cut its key rate by an additional 50 basis points, bringing it to 15%. This marks the seventh consecutive rate cut, in line with experts’ forecasts as the economy moves towards balanced growth. This monetary easing reflects Russia’s efforts to support economic recovery and stabilize market conditions amid new uncertainties.
First Flight of an Electric Plane in Europe, Departing from Glasgow (UK): Loganair, the pioneering airline, successfully took off in Glasgow with the Alia CX300, an all-electric aircraft made in America. This milestone comes amidst increasing pressure to reduce emissions and rising fuel prices, prompting airlines worldwide to seek alternative solutions.
Alibaba and Tencent Lose $66 Billion in Market Cap Due to AI Profitability Challenges: In the past 24 hours, Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Tencent saw a combined loss of $66 billion in market capitalization. Tencent experienced its largest one-year drop on March 19, losing $43 billion. Following suit, Alibaba lost $23 billion on the US market and dropped by 7.3% in Hong Kong on March 20. Investors sold off their shares as the companies lacked clear strategies to turn their massive AI investments into profits.
Major Banks Predict ECB Rate Hike in April 2026: JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Barclays all anticipate the first rate hike by the European Central Bank (ECB) in 2026, due to inflation risks related to the Middle East conflict. According to forecasts, Barclays and JP Morgan expect an initial increase in April 2026, followed by adjustments in the second and third quarters. Morgan Stanley predicts two 0.25 percentage point hikes in June and September 2026.
Offshore Oil Reserves Decline Rapidly Amid Ongoing Middle East Conflict: Global oil stocks on tankers are depleting rapidly for the third consecutive week, with floating reserves of crude oil and condensates decreasing by an average of 1.8 million barrels per day. The reserves currently stand at around 78 million barrels, sharply down from their peak of 140 million barrels in late November 2025. Consumer countries seeking alternative sources have led to a record decrease in offshore energy reserves, especially since about one-third of remaining offshore oil comes from Iran.
Silver Rush in China: Chinese silver imports reached an eight-year high, surpassing 790 tonnes in the first two months of 2026. February alone recorded a high of 470 tonnes, driven by strong domestic industrial and investment demand. With silver prices in China higher than international rates, importers have intensified purchases from foreign markets, depleting exchange stocks. Earlier, the global silver market experienced extreme volatility, with prices rising by about 70% due to speculation before correcting lower in late January 2026.
Nvidia Sells 1 Million Chips to Amazon, Forecasts Trillion-Dollar Revenue: Nvidia Corporation signed a strategic agreement to supply one million GPU chips to Amazon’s AWS cloud computing platform by the end of 2027. This deal includes next-generation GPUs like Rubin, Blackwell, and Spectrum, along with the latest Groq chips. It is a crucial step towards CEO Jensen Huang’s goal of achieving a trillion-dollar revenue while strengthening the necessary technological infrastructure for global growth in artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Surge in Fuel Prices Boosts Electric Vehicle Sales in France: Recent weeks have seen a significant increase in orders for electric vehicles at French dealerships, as consumers favor vehicles with reduced operating costs. Unlike past incentive-based recovery campaigns, the rise in fuel prices is now the main driver of electric vehicle purchases, leading to a sharp rise in orders from manufacturers.
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/diem-tin-kinh-te-the-gioi-noi-bat-ngay-2032026-20260320211849862.htm
