📢 Makana 360 Daily Report – February 25, 2026
📌 Germany / China (Merz visit): German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Beijing aiming to reset Germany-China ties and push for deeper, fairer, and more transparent economic cooperation. China highlighted its market size and urged engagement despite European concerns about dependency, trade imbalances, and tougher competition for German firms. Both sides signed five limited agreements, described as smaller in scope than China’s recent deals with other countries.
📌 Oil Markets (US-Iran talks): Oil prices hovered near seven-month highs ahead of U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva. Brent rose around 0.6% to about $71.19/bbl and WTI to about $66.04, supported by geopolitical risk and concerns over supply disruption from a major OPEC producer. API data showed a large crude stock build, while gasoline and distillates fell, with EIA figures due later.
📌 Bill Gates / Epstein links: Bill Gates told Gates Foundation staff that his past association with Jeffrey Epstein was a “huge mistake” and said he took responsibility for his actions, according to a foundation spokesperson. He apologized for involving foundation executives in meetings tied to Epstein, while the foundation reiterated Epstein was never employed by it and received no payments.
📌 Digital Trends: UEFA Champions League: Generated 10.5M mentions and engagement, with top reached coverage focusing on Alexander Sørloth completing a hat-trick (including Atlético Madrid’s fourth goal) on a notable European night.
📌 Digital Trends: Calvin Klein: Generated 3.1M mentions and engagement, with widely reached coverage highlighting the 2026 Spring Denim Campaign featuring ambassador Jungkook.
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