james hudson

BREAKING: Qatar’s Ministry of Transport says maritime navigation will resume “for all types of maritime vessels and ships” from 6am-6pm local time (03:00-15:00 GMT) on Sunday. 🔴 LIVE updates: aje.news/85uupi

“Fourth, carry out a final barrage of leadership strikes, eliminating the Iranian officials who had been spared for the purpose of negotiations. Iran’s leaders must be made to understand that their lives literally depend on reaching a negotiated settlement to Trump’s liking. If they refuse to do so, they will be killed.”washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/…

x.com/i/article/2042…

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist by training, makes a policy U-turn, now backing the development of shale gas deposits in her country (which means fracking, even if she avoided using that word — a taboo in Mexico — explicitly) jornada.com.mx/noticia/2026/0…

🇬🇧 A Chinese Car Most Brits Hadn’t Heard of 6 Months Ago Just Became the UK’s Best-Selling Vehicle • The Jaecoo 7, made by Chinese giant Chery, topped UK car sales in March with 10,064 registrations, beating the Ford Puma by nearly 900 units. Jaecoo only entered the UK market in January 2025. It’s now the second best-selling car of 2026 year-to-date at 15,569 units, closing in on the Puma’s 16,128. • The detail that matters: 85% of Jaecoo 7 sales were the plug-in hybrid variant, priced from £29,105. That’s not accidental. UK manufacturers face fines under the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate if they don’t sell enough electrified cars, and an affordable PHEV that counts toward compliance is exactly what dealers need on their books. Some of this volume will reflect that regulatory pressure, not just organic consumer demand. • The broader pattern is harder to dismiss. Add MG (owned by China’s SAIC) at #7 in March and the picture sharpens. BYD and Chery Group combined have now outsold Volkswagen year-to-date in the UK. Chinese brands aren’t just growing with the market, they’re growing faster than it, meaning established European and Japanese brands are actively losing share. • The SMMT’s own chief executive flagged a warning: much of March’s 380,627 registrations reflect orders placed before the Iran conflict began. With fuel costs surging and consumer confidence under pressure, the real test for the UK car market comes in Q2. The EU has already imposed tariffs on Chinese EVs. The UK hasn’t. This data will intensify that debate. Related tickers: $BYDDY — BYD (Chinese EV/PHEV, fastest-growing in UK) $BYDDF — BYD (Hong Kong-listed shares) $XPEV — XPeng (Chinese EV, expanding in Europe) $LI — Li Auto (Chinese PHEV/EV maker) $NIO — NIO (Chinese EV, European presence) $TSLA — Tesla (Model Y dropped to #9 in March) $F — Ford (Puma displaced from #1) $NSANY — Nissan (Qashqai fell from #2 to #4 YTD) $VWAGY — Volkswagen (now trailing BYD + Chery combined in UK YTD) $STLA — Stellantis (Vauxhall/Peugeot/Fiat, losing UK share) $VOW — Volvo Car (XC40 at #6, partly Geely-owned) $BMWYY — BMW (1 Series at #10 in March) $HYMTF — Hyundai (Kia Sportage parent group, holding steady) $RIVN — Rivian (EV competitive landscape pressure) $ALB — Albemarle (lithium, PHEV battery demand) $QS — QuantumScape (solid-state battery, next-gen EV tech) via @SMMT

Breaking news: The UK will host talks this week aimed at forming a coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as countries respond to Donald Trump’s threat to wind down the Iran conflict without securing the vital waterway ft.trib.al/pDbYVtz

@paxtrader777 Sir, sorry for the silly question, but I'm really curious what do you think the chances are that a ground operation will begin this weekend? Or perhaps it would be more accurate to ask how you view events of this kind and how you assess them. Thank you.