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geopolitics
U.S. warns allies to pick sides in AI race with China
The United States is preparing to deliver an ultimatum to dozens of countries: align with Washington's artificial intelligence coalition or risk exclusion from its technology ecosystem. A draft State Department letter, reviewed by Reuters, warns 35 signatories of a U.S.…
European stocks snap four-week winning streak on oil surge, Iran tensions
European equities closed lower on Friday, with the STOXX 600 snapping a four-week winning streak as surging crude oil prices driven by escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and a surprise drop in American retail sales weighed on sentiment across the region.
European bond yields hit multi-year highs as Hormuz tensions escalate
European government bond yields rose sharply on Friday, August 14, with Germany's 30-year yield climbing to around 3.72% — its highest level since 2011 — and France's 10-year yield breaching 4% for the first time since 2009, as the ongoing…
Trump says he will declare Strait of Hormuz a US territory
President Donald Trump declared Friday that he would "pretty soon" claim the Strait of Hormuz as "a territory of the United States," escalating his rhetoric over the strategic waterway as the U.S.-Iran conflict approaches its sixth month with no end…
Global stocks slip as U.S.-Iran standoff lifts oil prices
Global equities retreated on Friday as rising oil prices driven by the deepening US-Iran standoff dampened investor appetite for risk, even as softer US economic data tempered expectations of further Federal Reserve tightening.
Oil heads for weekly gains as Hormuz impasse deepens
Oil prices rose on Friday and were on track for weekly gains of nearly 5–6% as the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis continued to disrupt global energy flows, with Asian refiners scrambling for alternative crude supplies and European natural gas…
Global stocks hover near records as US inflation dims rate hike odds
Global stocks hovered near record highs on Friday as benign US inflation data released this week pushed back expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike, with traders now pricing only a 35% chance of a September increase, down from 55%…
Maersk CEO says full Suez Canal return on track for 2026
Shipping giant Maersk A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S has signaled that it expects the full resumption of navigation through the Suez Canal by the end of 2026, as the company continues gradually expanding services through the Red Sea corridor even…
Analysts warn Hormuz stalemate could push oil to $120 a barrel
The prolonged standoff between the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz is raising the prospect of oil prices surging to $120–$140 per barrel, analysts warn, as global fuel inventories deplete and the physical market approaches…
Diesel crack spread hits record $98 after Houthi refinery strike
A Houthi drone strike on Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery sent the diesel crack spread above $98 a barrel on Thursday, setting a record high and underscoring how geopolitical disruptions continue to ripple through global fuel markets even as crude oil…
Houthis claim drone strike on Saudi Aramco refinery in Jazan
Yemen's Houthi group claimed responsibility on Thursday for a two-drone strike on Saudi Aramco's oil refinery in Jazan, southern Saudi Arabia, in the latest escalation of cross-border attacks targeting the kingdom's energy infrastructure amid broader regional tensions.
Oil dips below $90 as U.S.-Iran diplomacy eases crisis premiums
Brent crude oil dropped to $90.28 per barrel as of the morning of August 13, 2026, a decline of $1.32, or 1.44%, from the previous day's price of $91.60, according to Fortune. The dip continues a pullback in oil prices…
Oil drops as OPEC and IEA slash demand forecasts
Oil prices fell sharply on Thursday as downgraded demand forecasts from both OPEC and the International Energy Agency, combined with a massive unexpected surge in U.S. crude inventories, overwhelmed the geopolitical risk premium from stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations and continued disruptions…
Microsoft shut 15-plus China offices but stays for AI business, Reuters reports
Microsoft has closed more than 15 branch offices and joint ventures in China over the past five years as part of a broad retreat from the country, according to a Reuters investigation published on Thursday based on corporate filings and…
Oil settles nearly flat after volatile day of ship attacks, demand cuts
Oil prices whipsawed on Wednesday as attacks on two vessels near critical Middle Eastern shipping lanes collided with bearish demand data, leaving crude caught between geopolitical risk and weakening consumption forecasts.
Global stocks slide as Hormuz standoff keeps oil near $90
Elevated crude oil prices driven by the prolonged Strait of Hormuz standoff weighed on equity markets across the world on Wednesday, as investors struggled to look past geopolitical risks even as fresh U.S. inflation data offered some relief.
Supply chain pressures eased in July before Hormuz flared up again
The ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran continues to roil global energy markets, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining effectively closed to commercial shipping for much of 2026. But a temporary reprieve in oil prices last week translated…
IEA warns global oil deficit deepening as ceasefire collapse disrupts Gulf exports
OPEC crude oil production jumped by approximately 1.7 million barrels per day in July, reaching about 23.6 million bpd, as a brief ceasefire between the United States and Iran allowed Persian Gulf producers to partially restore shipments through the Strait…
Tehran mayor reveals Khamenei’s wife killed in US-Israeli strike
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since assuming power in March 2026, more than five months after the February 28 US-Israeli airstrike that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The prolonged absence has fueled…
Oil nears $89 as Iran refuses to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Crude oil prices climbed for a sixth consecutive session on Tuesday as analysts warned that a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could push Brent crude to between $120 and $140 per barrel by the start of the fourth…
Tanker rates surge 20-fold as Hormuz traffic hits one-week low
The cost of hiring a supertanker to carry crude oil from the Persian Gulf to Asia has surged to nearly $500,000 per day, up from roughly $25,000 to $30,000 at the start of the year, as the ongoing conflict between…
Black Sea tanker rates hit record as drone attacks disrupt crude exports
Freight costs for oil tankers navigating from Russia's Black Sea coast to the Mediterranean have surged to record levels as a wave of drone attacks disrupts one of the world's most important crude export routes, hammering prices for Kazakhstan's primary…
Iran shifts to ‘offensive doctrine’ as US talks stall
Iran has adopted a more aggressive military and diplomatic posture as negotiations with the United States remain deadlocked, demanding sweeping economic concessions before agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while reorganizing its armed forces for what one senior commander…
Brent crude hits six-session winning streak as Hormuz talks stall
Brent crude rose for a sixth consecutive session on Tuesday, reaching around $89 a barrel, as fading hopes for a quick reopening of the Strait of Hormuz kept energy markets on edge and stoked inflation fears ahead of a pivotal…
Euro weakens as US-Iran stalemate lifts oil prices
The Euro slid against major currencies on Tuesday as the collapse of momentum in US-Iran peace negotiations sent oil prices higher, compounding inflationary pressures on energy-dependent Eurozone economies and raising the prospect of further interest rate increases from the European…
Currencies shift as Hormuz standoff lifts oil and splits forex markets
Currency markets moved sharply on Tuesday as an ongoing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz continued to drive oil prices higher, strengthening commodity-linked currencies while pressuring those of energy importers. The Canadian dollar held near two-month highs against both the…
EIA raises oil forecast as Hormuz standoff fuels inflation fears
Deutsche Bank strategists warned on Tuesday that the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed Brent crude oil above $85 a barrel, reviving inflation fears on both sides of the Atlantic and renewing speculation about hawkish central bank…
Global stocks slide as fading US-Iran deal hopes lift oil prices
Stock markets across the globe retreated on Tuesday as investors grew uneasy over fading prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the US-Iran conflict, pushing oil prices higher and clouding the economic outlook from New York to Hong Kong to Karachi.
Iran vows Hormuz will stay closed until US meets sweeping demands
Iran's newly appointed Supreme National Security Council secretary declared Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States ends the war, releases frozen Iranian assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire, hardening Tehran's negotiating position and…
Global refining crunch sends fuel margins soaring
The global energy crisis has shifted downstream. While crude oil prices dominate headlines, the more acute pressure point in energy markets is now in the world's refineries, where a convergence of geopolitical disruptions has removed millions of barrels of refined…