Hello, I’m Katrina Bishop – usually based in London but writing today from Singapore, where I’ve spent the past two days covering CNBC’s Converge Live.
A hot topic at the event was faith – or the lack of it – in the world today. I asked many policy makers and business leaders They wondered what should be done about itAnd his answers were sometimes surprising, but always (reassuringly) optimistic.
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan emphasized on importance of face-to-face conversations, while DBS CEO Tan Su Shan urged businesses to focus on their “trust gap” with sustainability and transparency.
However, perhaps my favorite response came from Carol Fong, CEO of CGS International Securities, whose advice was simple: “Just trust,” and welcome people — no matter who they are — with open arms.
Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (left) speaks with CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick at the Converge Live event on April 22, 2026.
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What you need to know today
Investors — now well accustomed to paying attention to when to trust (or not) news — remained mostly quiet overnight after President Donald Trump said Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed. Extend your ceasefire by three weeks.
This follows a meeting with top US officials at the White House at which Trump said true social Was “very good”.
temporary ceasefire — which was originally scheduled to expire after 10 days — Continued diplomatic efforts provide some relief to both Israel and Lebanon.
However, oil markets remain worried. The Strait of Hormuz is closed, with Trump saying on Thursday that he had ordered the US Navy to shoot down and kill any boats laying mines in the strategically important waterway.
International benchmark Brent crude rose 0.41% to $105.5 a barrel in Friday trade, while US West Texas Intermediate futures were up 0.08% at $95.93.
On Thursday, Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, or IEA, told CNBC CONVERGE LIVE that the world faces “the greatest energy security threat in history.”
In Europe, the benchmarks were said to be lower this morning, ending a declining week. Meanwhile, US futures were mixed, with Dow futures indicating a lower open, and S&P and Nasdaq Composite futures in the green.
Asia-Pacific markets were also mixed at lunchtime. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% after the country’s core inflation rose for the first time in five months. Elsewhere, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 0.15%, while South Korea’s Kospi traded 0.23% lower.
Back in Europe, leaders will meet for a second day on Friday in Cyprus, with the Strait of Hormuz, energy security and the budget topping the agenda. On Thursday the EU finally agreed to approve it 90 billion euros ($105 billion) debt For Ukraine.
DeepSeek is also in the news this morning, having released a preview version of its long-awaited open-source V4 large language model. The Chinese artificial intelligence startup shook up the markets in March 2025 when its R1 reasoning model outperformed its American counterparts despite being much cheaper to build.
– Katrina Bishop
