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The markets overshoot and the recent dramatic increase in bets placed on higher interest rates due to the Middle East energy crisis is the latest example: although the move was logical, its magnitude remains questionable. The Iran War shows no signs of stopping and the?markets are still in flux. Rates traders may need to take a break and re-evaluate. The abrupt change in global 'rate outlook' reflects concerns about the short-term impact on inflation of the soaring prices for oil and gas. Federal Reserve now has a higher probability of raising U.S. interest rates in this year rather than cutting...

The British government announced on Monday that the Iranian ambassador in the UK was summoned. Last week, an Iranian national and a British-Iranian dual citizen were arrested on suspicion of aiding Iran's spy services. Two men were accused in a London Court last week of 'being involved in gathering information from Iranian spy services and conducting reconnaissance of Jewish targets within?Britain over a five-week period in the summer of last year. The British Foreign Office said that "national security is our number one priority and we take the threats posed by Iran and those who follow its orders 'extremely serious."...

The British government announced that Prime Minister Keir starmer will chair an urgent meeting on the economic impact of the war in Iran, on Monday. Finance minister Rachel Reeves, and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey are expected to attend. Investors should prepare for another turbulent?week on the financial markets, after Iran warned that it would 'hit the energy and water system?of its Gulf neighbours' if U.S. president Donald Trump followed through on his threat to strike Iran’s electricity grid. The British are watching this situation with particular concern. The high level of inflation, the country's dependence on natural gas...

Analysts were cautious, however, as they feared that the weekend could bring about unexpected changes to the war status two weeks after its start. Brent futures were up $1.59 or 1.58% to $102.05 a barrel at 11:35 AM CDT (1635 GMT), pointing towards a weekly gain. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), for April, gained $1.15 or 1.2% to $96.88 per barrel. This was also a week-to-week increase. Phil Flynn is a senior analyst at Price Futures Group. We're about to enter another weekend, where this could be over by Monday. We could also see that the war continues and...

Oil prices rose on Thursday as Iran intensified its attacks?on?oil?and?transport facilities in the Middle East. This sparked fears of a long-term conflict and disruptions to oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent futures were up $8.54 or 9.28% to $100.52 a bar at 0354 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $7.22 or 8.28% to $94.47. Brent crude oil hit $119.50 per barrel on Monday. It was its highest price since mid-2022. Then, it dropped when U.S. president Donald Trump announced that the Iran War could end soon. In remarks directed at the U.S., an Iranian military spokesperson said...

Brazilian sugar and ethanol ?producer Raizen said on Wednesday it had reached an ?out-of-court agreement with ?creditors and bondholders ?to restructureapproximately ?65.1 billion reais ($12.61 billion) in debt obligations. The company is a joint-venture between Shell, an oil giant listed in London, and Brazilian conglomerate Cosan. It has been in talks for months to find ways to improve its capital structure and reduce its debt. Raizen stated in a?security filing that creditors who hold 47% of the company's unsecured debt had already endorsed this plan. The company has 90 days to get enough?support to receive final approval. After that, the...

The price of British government bonds?fell dramatically in early trade on Tuesday, as the markets questioned if the plans for a record releasing?of oil reserve could offset any potential supply shocks resulting from the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. As of 0906 GMT the short-dated gilt yields were up around 12 basis points, completely erasing Tuesday's large drops. Investors have also reduced their bets for a Bank of England rate cut in this year. The probability is now?roughly 20 percent, down from 50 percent a day ago. The British public is more vulnerable to a shock in energy prices...

'Britain and its allies are working on a variety of options to support commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz despite iranian threats. The spokesman for Prime Minister Keir 'Starmer said that Tuesday, as the U.S. - Israel war against Iran is roiling oil prices. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has said that the war will end "soon." He also stated that the U.S. would escalate its attack if Iran attempted to block tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Downing Street read out a statement after speaking with the leaders of Germany, Italy and France late on Monday. They...

Each financial market crisis differs, but they all rhyme. Parallels are emerging between the 'tremors' now rippling across private credit and the subprime housing in the U.S. that led to 2007-09 Global Financial Crisis. It's not to say that a replay of the historic crash is imminent. There is a growing danger that the increasing stress in the private credit market - i.e., the lack of liquidity, the opaque pricing and the soaring redemptions – could spill?over into the public markets. BlackRock, with its $14 trillion in assets under management, announced?on? Friday that it had limited withdrawals after an influx...

These are the most popular?stories from the Wall Street Journal. ? The accuracy of these stories has not been verified by the site. Rio Tinto has said that it is currently in negotiations with Mongolia regarding the Oyu Tolgoi mine, which is one of the largest deposits of?metal required to build data centers and electric vehicles. Shell agreed to sell Jiffy Lube?to Monomoy Capital Partners in a $1.3billion deal. Shell announced that the sale included Jiffy Lube, the?franchisee Premium Velocity Auto, and a network of stores operated by independent franchisees. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are supporting a new...

Investors now seriously consider the possibility that a war in the Middle East may create a stagflationary shock, as it did fifty years ago when disruptions to global energy supply sent inflation soaring and harmed growth. Kaspar Hense is the portfolio manager of RBC BlueBay Asset Management. If oil prices continue to rise, the safe-haven status for government bonds, and all other assets, is at risk. Five charts show how stagflation could affect the markets. OIL IS THE KEY Oil prices are at the forefront of the stagflation debate, and now the question is: how long can they continue to...

Donald Trump stated on Saturday that Britain was "seriously considering" sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. He added, however, that the United States would not be sending any. The United States does not need these aircraft carriers to win the war against Iran in the latest conflict between military allies. Trump has repeatedly criticized British Prime Minister Keir starmer, suggesting that he "ruined" the historically close relationship between the two countries after London refused to allow the U.S. The initial use of British base to attack Iran was criticised by Trump. Trump wrote on?Truth Social that he would...

U.S. crude oil futures dropped about 4% in early trading on 'Wednesday,' on the prospect that a possible ceasefire would ease?disruption of a global?oil supply. This was after reports that Washington sent Tehran a fifteen-point plan for ending the Middle East war. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI),?futures, dropped as low as $87.80 per barrel at the?open and were down $3.49 or 3.8% at $88.86 per barrel by 2305 GMT. WTI gained 4.8% on the Tuesday before paring its gains in volatile trading after settlement. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. is making progress in its...

On Tuesday, oil prices soared on fears of a shortage, after Iran denied that it had?talks? with the United States about ending the Gulf War, in contradiction to U.S. president Donald Trump, who claimed a deal would be reached soon. Crude futures dropped by more than 10% after Trump ordered the delay of attacks on Iran's power plants for five days, claiming that he had held talks with Iranian officials who were not named, and they had reached "major agreements". Brent futures were up $1.25 or 1.3% to $101.19 a barrel by 0858 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose $2.15...

U.S. president Donald Trump asked allies to help'secure the Strait of Hormuz' as Iranian forces 'continued attacks on this vital waterway during the U.S. and Israeli war against?Iran in its third week. Trump claimed that his administration has already reached out to seven countries but refused to name them. In an earlier post on social media, Trump said he hoped China would join the effort, as well as France, Japan and South Korea. Iran effectively closed the Strait between Iran and Oman. This narrow passage of water has cut off a fifth global oil supply, the largest disruption in history....

The U.S. Dollar was set to?gain a second weekly gain as investors moved?towards safer assets on Friday, as the Middle East war pushed investors towards safe-haven currencies. Energy-sensitive currencies like the euro and the yen fell to multi-month-lows. The economies of Japan and the euro zone, which heavily depend on crude imports would be severely affected by a sharp rise in oil prices. The economists are still wary about monetary tightening, as the dependence of these economies on fuel imports will likely lead to a rise in energy prices that could weigh on economic growth. The euro dropped to its...

U.S. Crude Futures increased more than 20% during early trading on Monday. They reached their highest level since July 2022, due to the escalating U.S. - Israeli 'war with iran. As of 2220 GMT, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up as much as $20.34 per barrel and were $14.83 or 16.31% higher at $105.73. The price of WTI crude futures rose by as much as $22.4%, to $111.24 in the early part of the session. The benchmark contract rose 12% on the Friday, and it has gained 36% in the last week. Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei, the son...

The price of oil rose by more than $1 Wednesday, as the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran disrupted Middle East production and stopped exports from the region. Brent rose $1.11 or 1.4% to $82.53 per barrel after Tuesday's closing price at its highest level since January 2025. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude rose by 79 cents or 1.1% to $75.37 after closing at its highest level since June. Israeli and U.S. troops struck targets in Iran on Tuesday. This prompted Iranian strikes against the energy infrastructure of a region which accounts for less than a third global oil production....

The oil prices rose on Thursday, as investors hoped that U.S.-Iran negotiations could prevent a'military conflict which risks disruption of supply.' However, gains were limited by the buildup in U.S. ?crude inventories. Brent futures traded at $71.04 a barrel at 0415 GMT, an increase of 19 cents or 0.3%. WTI futures increased 15 cents or 0.2% to $65.57 a barrel. Brent rose Monday to its highest level since July 31, as Washington sent military forces to the Middle East in an effort to pressure Iran into negotiating a stop to its nuclear programme and ballistic missile program. Toshitaka Takawa, analyst...

The price of oil climbed Thursday as investors hoped that U.S. and Iranian talks would avert a conflict which could disrupt supply. However, gains were capped due to a 'build-up in U.S. crude stocks. Brent futures traded at $71.12 a barrel at 0123 GMT, up 27 cents or 0.3%. WTI futures increased by 23 cents or 0.4% to $65.65. Brent rose 8 cents Wednesday while WTI dropped 21 cents. Brent reached its highest level since July 31, and WTI also rose to the highest level since July 31. Both contracts have remained?near these levels, as Washington has deployed military forces...

Oil prices were flat on Monday, ahead of a meeting between Washington and Tehran. Concerns about Iran-U.S. relations disrupting oil shipments are keeping prices down, while OPEC+ is in favor of resuming production increases from April. Brent crude futures were down 3 cents at $67.72 per barrel as of 0156 GMT, after ending Friday 23 cents higher. The price of U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was $62.86 per barrel, down by 3 cents. Due to a Monday holiday, there will be no WTI Settlement. Both benchmarks saw weekly declines last week. Brent settled down around 0.5% while WTI?lost about 1%....

The oil price was little changed Friday, after falling the previous session. It is set to fall for a second consecutive week, as concerns about an Iranian conflict, which could affect supply, have receded. Brent crude oil futures were up 3 cents or 0.04% at $67.55 per barrel at 0205 GMT, after dropping 2.7% the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose by 1 cent, or 0.02% to $62.85, after falling 2.8%. Brent prices will drop by 0.8% while WTI is expected to fall by 1.1%. Prices rose earlier in the week as investors worried that the U.S....

Investors worried about the escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. pushed up oil prices on Thursday morning. Brent crude oil futures were up 34 cents or 0.49% at $69.74 per barrel at 0126 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude climbed 37 cents or 0.57% to $65.00. Both benchmarks closed higher on Wednesday. Brent futures rose 0.87%, and WTI more than 1.05% as investor concerns about U.S. - Iran tensions overshadowed a rise in U.S. oil stocks. After talks with Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump stated that the two leaders had not reached a "definitive agreement" on how to...

LyondellBasell, a petrochemicals manufacturer, announced a surprising loss for its fourth quarter on Friday. It said it would save $1.3 billion before the end of 2026 as it continued to 'keep costs under control' despite volatility in energy and feedstock prices. LyondellBasell shares rose by 1.5% during premarket trading, as the company stated that it expected to generate an additional $500 million in cash flow this fiscal year. Chemicals firms have struggled due to a weaker demand in key markets like Europe and the rising costs of raw materials. The strict regulatory environment in Europe has forced businesses to reassess...