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As the United States and Iran exchanged escalating threat, and Israel planned "weeks" of more fighting, oil prices went on another roller-coaster. Iran warned on Sunday that it would attack?the water and energy systems of its Gulf neighbors if the?U.S. President Donald Trump has followed through on his threat to strike Iran's power grid within 48 hours. This effectively ends any hope for an early conclusion to the war which is now in its fourth weeks. Trump warned Iran that it had only two days to open up the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is currently closed for all vessels...

The crude oil markets still price in a resolution of the Middle East conflict that will result in the full opening of the Strait of Hormuz. In pricing this outcome, the market actually makes it more likely that the narrow waterway which serves as a channel for as much as 20 percent of the world’s oil supply remains closed. The market still expects U.S. president Donald Trump to deliver TACO - the acronym for Trump always?Chickens out. Trump can continue the conflict by maintaining the price of paper crude oil below the level that would allow for a return to...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets The selloff of stocks and bonds has increased as markets prepare for a war in the Middle East which could keep oil prices at $100 per barrel. Traders are scrambling to determine the risks associated with stagflation. Investors are bracing themselves for increased volatility as leaders from Iran, Israel, and the United States show their defiance. They have put on their risk-off caps and bought U.S. dollar. The global interest rate outlook has been completely transformed by the fading hopes for a quick resolution....

Global stocks fell on Thursday, as the attacks on oil tankers and the warning from Iran undermined the prospects for an imminent deescalation of the Middle East conflict. Oil prices briefly rose above $100 per barrel and inflation fears were stoked. The'reaction' shows how quickly bets placed on an early end to the 'war which gained momentum earlier in the week are being unwound. The contradictory messages of U.S. president Donald Trump has left traders fearful that they will be caught off guard, causing them to stay away from the markets or find refuge in safe havens. Wall Street stock...

Customs officials in South Korea announced?on Thursday they will 'intensify their crackdown on illegal auto exports to Russia after discovering that a growing number of vehicles are being sent via third-country countries like China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Korea Customs Service reported that illegal vehicle exports to Russia from South Korea increased by more than five times to 149.2 million won ($100.78m) in the last year compared with 2024 when Seoul tightened restrictions on exports in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Korea Customs Service said that some traders reported falsely to the customs offices that the cars were exported?to...

Investors were worried about inflationary pressures, and the risks of economic growth. Investors were reminded about the vulnerability of 'private credit' after Financial Times reported, citing a source familiar with the issue, that JPMorgan Chase JPM.N marked down the?value? of some loans held in private-credit groups, and tightened its lending policies to the sector. The price of oil was volatile again, but the price movements were relatively mild compared with Monday's record-breaking price swings. The Wall Street Journal reported that the International Energy Agency had proposed the largest release in history of reserves to bring down crude oil prices. Energy...

Asian stocks surged and oil prices fell at the beginning of trading on Tuesday following a volatile session overnight for markets after U.S. president Donald Trump declared that the Middle East war might be "over soon." Brent crude futures dropped as much as 10 percent to below $90 a barrel when trading resumed. U.S. equity futurs were muted. S&P 500 futures fell 0.2%, reversing Monday's gains. Trump's comments injected an optimistic burst that contrasted sharply to events in Iran where hardliners rallied around the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khmenei as a show of adamant?defiance. On Monday, the global markets were...

By Mike Dolan March 9th - Mike Dolan is Editor-at-Large for Finance and Markets. Oil shock and stagflation are often used as scare tactics in the financial markets. Both are very much at play now with the energy markets in chaos as the Middle East war enters its second?week with no end in sight. Crude oil prices rose above $100 a barrel on Monday, their highest level since the Ukraine invasion in 2004. If triple-digit oil price increases are not a temporary phenomenon, then the U.S. economy and the global economy may be in real trouble. Central bankers could also...

Early Monday morning, oil prices jumped by 20%, reaching their highest level since July 2022. This was due to the expanding U.S./Israeli conflict with Iran, which led major Middle East producers to cut back on supplies, and concerns about a prolonged disruption of shipping through Strait of Hormuz. COMMENTARY: DANIEL HYNES, SENIOR COMMODITY STRATEGIST ANZ SYDNEY I?think the prices have risen this morning due to?reports? that?Middle East manufacturers are now reducing their output because storage facilities are filling up quickly. "I think that the threat of Middle Eastern producers cutting back on production will keep prices high. Next, it will...

The United States, China and other major countries are making miscalculations, and retreating to their narrow interests, which threaten to turn the conflict in Iran into an international crisis for the supply of refined oil products. The media focuses a lot on the price for crude oil. Brent crude futures, which are the benchmark, jumped up to 20% in the early Asian trading on Monday, reaching $111.04 per barrel. This is the highest level since July 2022. The price of refined fuels, such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel, has risen even more than crude oil. These are the fuels...

The U.S. Dollar was in high demand on Monday due to the investor's desire for liquidity. Brent crude soared 15% to $106.94 per barrel after already rising 28% in the previous week. U.S. crude climbed 17% to $106.75, threatening to send petrol prices rapidly skyrocketing. Iran has named Mojtaba Khamenei the successor to his father Ali Khamenei, signaling that hardliners are still in control in Tehran after a week of conflict with Israel and the United States. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, had called the act "inacceptable". Investors were bracing themselves for a long stretch of rising energy prices. With...

European stocks and U.S. Futures fell on Friday, as renewed concerns over oil supplies arose from the U.S.Iran War. This led traders to re-evaluate their interest rate bets and rethink the global impact. Benchmark global and U.S. Oil prices reached their highest level in nearly two years, as U.S. Treasuries dropped for the fifth consecutive day. Global stock markets are heading for their largest weekly decline in a year. Futures on the U.S. S&P500 fell by 0.62%, while Nasdaq's futures declined by 0.75%. The STOXX 600 Index in Europe fell 1.04% during choppy trading. This reversed a rise of nearly...

The top U.S. economic officials and Chinese leaders will launch a second round of negotiations in Paris on Sunday. They hope to smooth out the kinks of their trade truce, and prepare for Donald Trump's visit to Beijing at the end March to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Discussions between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng are expected to center on the shifting of?U.S. Tariffs, the flow of Chinese rare earth minerals and magnetics to U.S. customers, American export controls, and Chinese purchases of U.S. agriculture products are all expected to be discussed. A source...

?Top U.S. economic officials and Chinese officials will launch a second round of talks on Sunday in Paris to smooth out the kinks 'in their trade truce, and to prepare for Donald Trump to travel to Beijing at the end of March to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping. The U.S. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, and the Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng are expected to lead discussions on a number of issues, including shifting U.S. Tariffs, the flow of Chinese rare earth minerals to U.S. buyers and American export controls for high-tech products, and Chinese purchases U.S. agriculture products. A...

Aluminum fell on Friday as the dollar gained strength, but shipping disruptions due to the ongoing Middle East conflict kept it on track for a weekly rise. Open outcry official activity showed that benchmark three-month aluminum?on London Metal Exchange was?down by 0.9% to $3,485.50 a metric ton. The metal was set to finish the week with a 1.3% gain after reaching a near four-year high Thursday. Last week, the metal jumped 10%. Tom Price, Panmure Liberum's analyst, said that the dollar was "the biggest mover." The dollar rose to its highest level in more than three months on Friday, as...

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence's (BMI) data on Friday showed that global EV registrations dropped 11% in February. This was largely due to China, which saw its?largest? drop of sales since the COVID-19 epidemic began early 2020. China, as governments around the world slowed down policies to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles, has stopped funding auto trade-ins. A tax exemption for EV purchases expired in China at the end last year. BMI reported that China, the world's biggest EV market, saw a 32% drop year-on-year in battery-electric and plug-in hybrid registrations in February. This is a proxy measure of sales. This...

China has increased its 'ban on BHP Iron Ore for the second time in just two weeks. This is a result of a contract dispute that has been ongoing for months with the third largest supplier of this key ingredient to steelmaking. Three sources familiar with the situation said that China Mineral Resources Group, the state-run buyer of iron ore, told domestic steel mills on Thursday they were prohibited from accepting Newman fines – a popular BHP ore found in ports – starting late next week. According to two anonymous sources, customers will be able to receive their cargoes in...

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence's (BMI) data showed that global EV registrations dropped 11% in February. This was largely due to China's biggest?sales?drop since early 2020 when the COVID-19 epidemic began. China, which has been slackening its policies to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles, has stopped funding auto trade-ins. A tax exemption on EVs in China expired at the end last year. BMI reported that China,?the largest EV market in the world, saw a 32% drop in battery-electric car registrations and?plug in hybrid vehicle sales in February, a proxy measure of sales. This dropped to less than 500,000 cars. This is...

Aluminum prices reached their highest level in almost four years on Thursday, as fears of a tighter supply for 'Europe and other areas' grew. The Middle East conflict is disrupting shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The benchmark three-month aluminum on the London Metal Exchange increased 0.6% by 1111 GMT to $3,478.50 per metric ton after reaching $3,546.5. This was its highest level since late March 2022. The Middle East war has disrupted the deliveries of alumina and other raw materials to aluminium producers in the region. Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian company, announced on Thursday that its Qatalum aluminum smelter...

BMW warns that it will not see any relief from the ongoing tariff costs in China and intense competition. The company warned on Thursday about a modest decline in its pre-tax earnings in 2026 and a stagnation of deliveries. BMW's rivals Volkswagen, Mercedes and Audi also reported a weaker 2025 due to trade barriers and falling China sales. They also made mistakes with electrification as the market demand for electric vehicles diverged in key markets. The outbreak of war in the Middle East has roiled nerves, fueling supply chain concerns and driving up fuel prices. It also threatens?demand, which is...

China has increased its ban on BHP iron ore a second time in two weeks. This is a result of a contract dispute that's been ongoing for months with the world's third-largest supplier. Three sources familiar with the matter said that China Mineral Resources Group (CMRG), the state-run buyer of iron ore, told domestic steel mills on Thursday they were prohibited from taking Newman fines – a popular BHP type of?iron stored in ports – as of next week. According to two sources, however, customers will still be able to receive their cargos in 'the next five days'. Due to...

Aluminum prices continued to rise on?Thursday. They were boosted by lingering fears about a tightening of global?supply in the midst of the Middle?East Conflict that shows?no sign?of easing. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded aluminium contract closed the daytime trading up 0.38% to 25,240 yuan (US$3,669.56) a metric tonne. The benchmark three-month aluminum contract on the London Metal Exchange rose 1.32%, to $3,502.50 per ton. This is close to a four-year high of $3,544 that was reached earlier this week. Supply fears have been sparked by the war in the Middle East. This?region accounts for around 9 percent of global...

Iron ore futures rose on Thursday as mills in China’s steelmaking hub of Hebei completed regulatory checks. However, weaker auto sales and a softer outlook of car exports could limit price gains. The May contract for iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange traded 1.34% higher, at 795.5 Yuan ($115.68). As of 0707 GMT, the benchmark April iron ore price on Singapore Exchange?rose by 1.01% to $100.22 per ton. According to a report from the Shanghai Metals Market, hot metal production decreased 'this week after several steel mills were inspected for safety and environmental concerns during important government meetings held...

After a brief drop in prices triggered by comments made by the U.S. Donald Trump's comments on the?Iran war. Benchmark aluminum?on the London Metal Exchange?was up 1.1% at $3,444 per metric ton as of 1704 GMT. It reached $3,544 per ton earlier this week, its highest level since April 2022. Trump predicted on Monday that the conflict would be over well before his four-week timeline. Due to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, the war has effectively "frozen" shipments and threatened global supplies of aluminum used for transport, construction and packing. Around seven million metric tonnes of?aluminium smelting is...