News

Behind a record surge in cocoa prices this year, a corner of financial markets that drives the cost of chocolate underwent a seismic shift: the hedge funds that oiled its workings headed for the exit. Confectionery prices, from candy bars to hot chocolate, are heavily influenced by futures contracts for cocoa beans. In the middle of last year, hedge funds - a class of investors that use privately pooled money to make speculative bets - started pulling back from trading cocoa futures because price swings in the market were raising their cost of trading and making it harder to make profits.

Futures markets have seen a record-breaking run in cocoa prices in 2024, a surge exacerbated by the hedge funds that provide much of their liquidity heading for the exit. Here are some facts on futures markets, including how they operate and the main players. Cocoa beans are the vital ingredient in chocolate.

(Bloomberg) -- Giorgia Meloni keeps managing a feat that her predecessors as Italian prime minister long struggled with: earning ever greater trust from investors.Most Read from BloombergNew York City’s Historic Preservation Movement Is Having a Midlife CrisisNYPD Car Chases Are Becoming More Frequent — and More DangerousDakar’s Air Quality Plummets as Saharan Dust Descends on SenegalReviving a Little-Known Modernist Landmark in BuffaloAs the premier approaches the end of her second full year in

The Dow managed to narrowly snap a 10-day losing streak, giving up most of its earlier gains to end slightly higher after Wednesday's 1,100-point drop.

(Bloomberg) -- In a Vanity Fair video last month, Lisa, a member of mega K-pop band Blackpink, shared her obsession with toys from Chinese company Pop Mart International Group Ltd. Most Read from BloombergNew York City’s Historic Preservation Movement Is Having a Midlife CrisisNYPD Car Chases Are Becoming More Frequent — and More DangerousDakar’s Air Quality Plummets as Saharan Dust Descends on SenegalRescuing a Little-Known Modernist Landmark in Buffalo“I go crazy. It’s like I spent all my mone

The Fed would need to lower interest rates by another 100 basis points for the final ingredient of a bubble to be added to the mix, UBS says.

"This is not the time to take a lot of excess exposure risk on FX, as it may prove to be the dominant story of 2025," KKR said.