geopolitics

European gas prices hit 4-month high as US-Iran conflict chokes supply

European natural gas prices climbed above €62 per megawatt hour on Wednesday, extending a rally to fresh four-month highs as escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran choked off LNG supplies through two of the world's most critical maritime…

US-Iran conflict drives oil higher, rattling global markets

Renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran continued to unsettle global financial markets on Wednesday, as rising oil prices, climbing Treasury yields, and a weakening Japanese yen underscored the economic toll of a conflict now in its fifth month.

Norsk Hydro warns of deepening aluminum deficit amid Hormuz shutdown

Norsk Hydro CEO Eivind Kallevik warned on Tuesday that the global aluminum market faces deepening deficits as renewed disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz compound pressure on already-strained supply chains, even as the Norwegian producer reported strong second-quarter…

Iran slashes August crude price for Asia amid war, Saudi rivalry

Iran's National Iranian Oil Company has cut its August official selling price for Iranian Light crude to Asian buyers by $11.50 a barrel from the previous month, according to RIM Intelligence, setting the grade at a discount to the regional…

Asian stocks jump as chip rebound offsets Middle East risks

Asian stocks opened higher on Wednesday but traded in a mixed fashion as investors weighed a sharp rebound in semiconductor shares against rising geopolitical risks in the Middle East, where Yemen's Houthi rebels have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi…

Gold edges higher as U.S.-Iran strikes enter 10th night

Gold edged higher on Wednesday, July 22, with spot prices climbing toward the $4,120 range, as the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran continued to drive safe-haven demand while simultaneously complicating the outlook for Federal Reserve policy.

Dollar climbs as 11th night of Iran strikes lifts safe-haven demand

The U.S. Dollar Index climbed toward 101.20 on Tuesday, July 21, extending a multi-session winning streak as the United States completed its 11th consecutive night of military strikes against Iran, pushing oil prices higher and reviving inflation concerns across global…

Silver surges as Strait of Hormuz tensions spark safe-haven rally

Silver posted its sharpest single-day rally in months on Tuesday, July 21, climbing 4.6% to close at $59.52 an ounce as reports of an Iranian declaration closing the Strait of Hormuz sent investors scrambling into precious metals. The move lifted…

Brent crude tops $94 as Middle East conflicts choke global oil supply

Brent crude surged above $94 per barrel on Wednesday — its highest level since June 11 — as a convergence of supply disruptions across the Middle East and Black Sea sent energy markets sharply higher. The rally came after the…

Dubai airport operating with roughly 55 airlines, down from 90 before Iran conflict

Dubai International Airport is operating with roughly 55 airlines — down from more than 90 before the Iran conflict began — as global carriers continue to weigh safety concerns and war-risk insurance costs against strong travel demand, Dubai Airports CEO…

Global operating costs hit record as Iran war roils energy markets

The U.S.-Iran conflict has reignited a scramble across Asia to secure alternative oil supplies and expand strategic reserves, as renewed hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz threaten to choke off the waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world's…

Oil prices climb as dual chokepoint threats roil markets

Oil prices rose sharply on Tuesday as escalating threats to both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait intensified fears of a broader disruption to global energy flows. WTI crude climbed more than 2% to around $84.50 per…

European stocks rise as oil pulls back on Iran mediation hopes

European shares advanced modestly on Tuesday as oil prices pulled back from multi-week highs after reports emerged of mediation efforts between the United States and Iran, easing some of the geopolitical risk that has weighed on markets in recent sessions.

Moonshot AI eyes $50B valuation as U.S. weighs Chinese AI ban

Leaders at OpenAI and Anthropic are warning that powerful new artificial intelligence models from China could create "dystopian" scenarios and pose unacceptable security risks if left unregulated, according to The Wall Street Journal News Corp. The alarm comes as Beijing-based…

Trump warns U.S. will ‘take care of’ Houthi Red Sea blockade threat

President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed the prospect of immediate negotiations with Iran, claiming Tehran is "desperate" for dialogue, even as the U.S. continued strikes on Iranian targets and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen threatened to choke a vital…

Iran strikes tankers in Hormuz as US carries out 10th night of airstrikes

Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the burning vessel, even as the United States carried out a 10th consecutive night of airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure across the country. The…

Oil holds below $90 despite resumed US-Iran fighting

When the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, some of the world's top energy analysts warned that crude oil could surge to $200 per barrel or beyond. Nearly five months later, Brent crude traded at…

Asian currencies slide as oil spike lifts dollar

Asian currencies came under broad pressure on Monday as renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran pushed oil prices sharply higher and drove investors toward the safety of the US dollar. The dollar index rose to 100.98, its highest…

Israel says Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded, in Iran and managed by IRGC

Nearly five months after being wounded in the opening strike of Operation Lion's Roar, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains a ghost-like figure at the apex of the Islamic Republic, with Israeli officials now pushing back on reports that he…

Gold climbs as U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks ease oil fears

Gold prices climbed more than 1% on Tuesday as markets reacted to renewed diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating the U.S.-Iran conflict, easing concerns that elevated oil prices could fuel further inflation and push the Federal Reserve toward additional rate hikes.

Goldman Sachs warns Brent crude could top $120 if Hormuz disruptions persist

Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. warned on Sunday that Brent crude could rally above $120 a barrel by the fourth quarter if disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz persist, as renewed fighting between the United States…

Dollar holds near one-week high as Iran ceasefire proposal emerges

The U.S. dollar index held steady near a one-week high on Tuesday, trading around 100.96 as escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran continued to underpin safe-haven demand for the greenback, even as emerging ceasefire proposals offered some counterbalance.

Gold holds above $4,000 as Iran proposes 10-day ceasefire

Gold steadied above the $4,000 mark on Tuesday after reports surfaced that mediators had presented the United States with a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire with Iran, offering a temporary reprieve from weeks of escalating geopolitical tension that has whipsawed…

Asian stocks rally as US-Iran ceasefire proposal eases oil prices

Global markets rallied on Tuesday as diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the US-Iran conflict buoyed investor sentiment, easing oil prices from recent highs and lifting equities across Asia.

Global refining margins hit records as war knocks out 5M barrels per day

The global oil refining industry is under mounting strain as the U.S.-Iran conflict and Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure converge to create an unprecedented squeeze on fuel supplies, pushing refining margins to record highs and drawing down inventories worldwide.

KOSPI drops over 4% as oil spike, chip selloff rattle Asia

South Korea's Kospi tumbled 4.46% on Monday to close at 6,516.27, its lowest level since late April, as escalating U.S.-Iran tensions pushed crude oil prices above $90 per barrel and investors continued to unload semiconductor stocks. The tech-heavy Kosdaq fell…

Wall Street reverses lower as U.S.-Iran conflict fuels oil spike, inflation fears

Wall Street closed lower on Monday as escalating US-Iran hostilities and elevated oil prices overshadowed an early rally driven by chip-stock bargain hunting, capping a session that saw sharp intraday reversals amid worsening geopolitical tensions.

U.S. carries out 10th straight night of strikes on Iran

The United States military said late Monday it was carrying out its tenth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, escalating a campaign to reopen the Strait of Hormuz that has now killed 17 American service members and drawn much of…

Oil pulls back from $90 as U.S., Iran signal openness to diplomacy

Brent crude surged past $90 per barrel on Sunday — its highest level in more than a month — after the United States and Iran exchanged fresh military strikes over the weekend, rattling energy markets and pushing U.S. gasoline prices…

European stocks dip as U.S.-Iran strikes enter ninth day

European equities traded lower on Monday as the US-Iran conflict entered its ninth consecutive day of American airstrikes, briefly pushing Brent crude above $90 a barrel and rattling markets already on edge over Middle East instability.