North Korean Banks Barred From Swift Global Messaging System

North Korean banks subject to international sanctions have recently been banned by Swift from using its global financial messaging service, according to a statement from the Belgium-based Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. Swift said it had recently been informed by Belgian authorities that they would no longer provide the “necessary authorizations” for it to continue offering services to North Korean banks covered by United Nations sanctions.

Nikkei Closes Lower, Small Caps Buck Trend

Japan’s Nikkei share average edged down on Tuesday, following Wall Street’s lead, with investors deterred by geopolitical tensions after the North Korean missile tests, while buying continued to fuel in into small cap stocks.

Asia Stocks Rise as Markets Await U.S. Jobs Data

Markets in Asia largely recovered from a Deutsche Bank-led decline in financial stocks in the morning, as attention moved to Friday’s release of U.S. jobs data. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 reversed early declines to trade up 0.3%, though mining stocks continue to be weighed down by softer commodity prices.

Yen Gains, Topix Falls on Korean Missile Report: Markets Wrap

U.S. stock futures were also lower as Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government will hold a National Security Council meeting today after North Korea fired four ballistic missiles. The move comes as South Korea and the U.S. undertake annual military drills that Pyongyang has called a prelude to an invasion. Tensions have been rising over North Korea, which also conducted a missile test during Abe’s state visit to the U.S. last month and is suspected of being behind the assassination of its leader’s half brother in Malaysia.

Yen Gains, Topix Falls on Korean Missile Report: Markets Wrap

U.S. stock futures were also lower as Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government will hold a National Security Council meeting today after North Korea fired four ballistic missiles. The move comes as South Korea and the U.S. undertake annual military drills that Pyongyang has called a prelude to an invasion. Tensions have been rising over North Korea, which also conducted a missile test during Abe’s state visit to the U.S. last month and is suspected of being behind the assassination of its leader’s half brother in Malaysia.

Key developments in Kim’s assassination investigation

A Malaysian police officer guards the gate of the National Forensic Institute at Kuala Lumpur Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017. Malaysian police ordered a sweep of Kuala Lumpur airport for toxic chemicals and other hazardous substances following the killing of Kim Jong Nam.

Malaysia Warns North Korea to Cooperate With Investigation

Malaysia said Saturday that it would issue an arrest warrant for a North Korean diplomat if he refuses to cooperate with the investigation into the deadly attack on North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un’s exiled half brother. The investigation has unleashed a serious diplomatic fight between Malaysia and North Korea, a prime suspect in the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur’s airport.

The Latest: North Korea says women suspects should be freed

Journalists wait outside North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017. The women suspected of fatally poisoning a scion of North Korea’s ruling family were trained to coat their hands with toxic chemicals then wipe them on his face, police said Wednesday, announcing they were now seeking a North Korean diplomat in connection with the attack.

How the Trump Trade Survived a North Korean Missile, Russian Sub and the NYT

On the darkest day yet for the Trump Administration, Wednesday, with national media and intelligence officials swarming, the second of the President’s proposed advisers out in two days, a new North Korean threat in play, and a Russian sub off the coast of Connecticut, the markets… rose? Not only rose but surged to another record, the longest run in 25 years, since the first President Bush. Nasdaq , Russell , Dow , FANG, financials, retails, transports; the worse the drama out of Washington, the bigger the tear.

UN Ambassador : It’s time to hold North Korea accountable…

In addition to all 15 council members condemning North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch, UN ambassador Nikki Haley also delivered a decisive statement. “We call on all members of the Security Council to use every available resource to make it clear to the North Korean regime – and its enablers – that these launches are unacceptable,” her statement read.