Energy Security & Storage: The Philippines is moving toward a government-backed strategic oil reserve, with the Department of Energy saying a million-barrel facility could be scaled up and targeted for completion by late 2027 or early 2028, potentially also positioning the country as a regional storage hub for foreign firms. Middle East Shipping Watch: As US-Iran de-escalation progresses, Strait of Hormuz traffic is recovering but still far below pre-war levels; industry expects freight and insurance costs to ease gradually, not collapse, while oil prices slide on reduced risk. Port & Logistics Expansion (Egypt): DP World launched Egypt’s first integrated Logistics Distribution Centre at Sokhna Logistics Park, aiming to cut delivery times and offer assembly, packaging, labeling and temperature-controlled services for regional trade. Renewables Storage (Morocco/Egypt): The World Bank approved a $265m pumped hydropower storage project in Morocco to add grid resilience and enable more solar/wind; Egypt also granted “Golden Licenses” worth $800m for two battery storage projects. Trade & Infrastructure (China): China started its first sea-river zero-carbon electric container route, linking inland electric transport with a battery-powered containership to cut emissions per container. Regulatory/Market Signals: Cboe is seeking SEC approval to list “binary KPI” options tied to corporate earnings metrics, a new hedge-style product aimed at traders.