Oil prices fell on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. had reached a deal to import $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude, a move that is expected to increase supplies to the world’s largest oil consumer.

Vietnam's economy grew by 8 per cent in 2025, accelerating from the previous year's pace due to robust exports despite US tariffs, preliminary government data showed on Monday, as the country posted its highest annual trade surplus with Washington.

New-car sales in the UK surpassed 2 million last year for the first time since the pandemic, buoyed in part by automakers offering more than £5 billion ($6.7 billion) worth of discounts on electric vehicles. 

British company executives became a little more optimistic following finance minister Rachel Reeves' budget and grew more willing to increase investment, although the mood overall stayed muted, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Most Asian stock markets extended sharp gains on Tuesday, with Japanese shares hitting fresh record highs as technology and chipmaking stocks continued to rally, while South Korean equities edged lower from peaks ahead of Samsung earnings later this week.

U.S. multinational corporations will be exempted from paying more corporate taxes overseas in a deal finalized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.