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Airlines are deploying Boeing’s 777X ultra‑long‑haul jets as geopolitical tensions make traditional great‑circle routes unreliable. The aircraft’s 18‑hour range enables nonstop links such as Singapore‑New York and opens new possibilities between Australia‑Europe and Southeast Asia‑North America. Closed Russian airspace and volatile Middle‑East corridors force carriers to reroute thousands of miles, turning distance into a strategic asset rather than a cost metric. Operators view the 777X as a resilience tool, reducing hub dependence and providing flexibility amid shifting restrictions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Kyodo News that Tehran will discuss safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz with Japan and any nation that has not attacked Iran. He emphasized the strait remains open for non‑enemy vessels, while it...
Gulf oil producers are urging the United States to confront the Hormuz blockage directly, warning that temporary "oil‑on‑water" licences aid Iran while constraining regional exporters. They cite roughly 140 million barrels of Iranian crude stranded at sea and argue that without...
The escalation of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran has disrupted oil supplies, prompting a reassessment of U.S. interest‑rate expectations. Market participants now price a modest probability of a Fed rate hike, pushing the MOVE index higher and widening rate‑volatility...
SBI Research warns that an expanding West Asia conflict could reignite global inflation by disrupting energy markets, trade routes and supply chains. While the immediate price impact may be modest, prolonged hostilities risk broader macro‑economic fallout. India appears relatively insulated...
Iran has effectively sealed the Strait of Hormuz, slashing daily oil‑tanker traffic by roughly 95% since early March 2026. The closure has pushed crude prices above $100 a barrel and disrupted about 20% of global oil and LNG flows. Despite...
Global markets remain dominated by the West Asia conflict, keeping risk aversion high across asset classes. The Federal Reserve held policy rates steady, offering only modest guidance for 25‑basis‑point cuts in 2026 and 2027, and emphasized a data‑dependent stance. Elevated...
Harish K. Ahuja, head of sustainability at NSE, urged retail investors to stay calm amid a 7‑10% global market correction tied to geopolitical tensions. He emphasized that India’s fundamentals—strong GDP growth, low inflation, and robust industrial activity—remain solid despite short‑term...
Foreign portfolio investors withdrew ₹35,475 crore from Indian equities this week, taking March’s cumulative outflow to ₹88,180 crore – the highest monthly net withdrawal recorded in 2026. The sell‑off accelerated after a Monday outflow of ₹10,827 crore and ended with a Friday dump...
Iran has signaled willingness to permit Japanese‑flagged vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for global oil shipments. The offer follows phone talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Japanese officials amid heightened tensions from the...
Larry Kuddown hosts Fox Business' "Kudlow" on March 20, delivering a 36‑minute episode that examines domestic and global economic policies. The program features real‑time market analysis, fiscal and monetary commentary, and interviews with industry experts. It airs on the Fox...
The S&P 500 slipped more than 2.5% last week, erasing over $1 trillion in market capitalisation as fears of a US‑Iran war intensified. In the past month the index has fallen 5.83%, wiping out roughly $3 trillion. The benchmark also broke below its...
Analysts upgrade iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) to BUY, citing the central bank’s monetary easing and expanding trade ties with China and the EU. The fund offers a 4.2% dividend yield and stands to benefit from the upcoming EU‑Mercosur free‑trade...
FinHeim Research rates the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) a BUY, citing anticipated monetary easing and expanding trade ties with China and the EU. The fund trades at $35.06, offers a 4.22% dividend yield and holds $9.3 B in assets, positioning...
India’s crude oil imports plunged 23% in the first half of March as the Strait of Hormuz remained closed, sharply curtailing Gulf deliveries. Refiners responded by nearly doubling purchases from Russia, which now accounts for about 44% of total imports,...
Cambodia is ramping up fuel imports from Singapore and Malaysia to offset shortages triggered by the ongoing Middle‑East conflict. After a peak where roughly one‑third of its 6,300 stations temporarily closed, closures have fallen to 5.77 %. Imports of gasoline and...
The latest NBER paper shows a pronounced shift in the composition of global foreign‑exchange reserves. The U.S. dollar’s share slipped below 57% in Q3 2025, while gold overtook the euro to become the second‑largest reserve asset. Central banks are diversifying into...
The Peterson Institute for International Economics convened a high‑level panel of central bank governors from New Zealand, Spain, Korea and Switzerland to examine open‑economy monetary policy in a rapidly shifting financial and geopolitical climate. Moderated by former Bank of Ireland governor...
The Peterson Institute for International Economics hosted a live discussion titled “The Realities of Economic Security,” moderated by Anjali Bhatt. Experts Warwick McKibbin, Cullen Hendrix, and Jacob Funk Kirkegaard presented macroeconomic scenarios on the Middle East conflict, commodity‑supply vulnerabilities, and Europe’s policy dilemma between...
President Donald Trump announced that U.S. operations against Iran are nearing completion and that the United States will step back from directly policing the Strait of Hormuz. He said the waterway will be guarded by nations that use it, with...
Oil prices are edging toward $100 a barrel for Brent crude as the Iran war disrupts the Strait of Hormuz, pushing national gasoline averages to $3.91 and squeezing low‑income households. Economists warn the ripple effect will raise costs for everything...
The EU is set to finalize a trade pact with Australia early next week, coinciding with President Ursula von der Leyen’s Canberra visit. Negotiators have narrowed the agenda to a few remaining issues, notably beef and lamb quotas and the...
Aging populations are converging across high‑income and middle‑income nations, while low‑income countries contend with a burgeoning youth cohort. Advanced economies face soaring old‑age dependency ratios, and emerging economies are poised for a faster, sharper workforce decline than the West experienced....
The war in Iran and attacks on Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal have driven European spot LNG prices above $20 per million British thermal units, more than double pre‑conflict levels. This price surge fuels concerns that volatility could erode buyer confidence...
Argentina exported 50,000 metric tonnes of LPG to India in the first quarter of 2026, more than double the 22,000 tonnes shipped to the country in all of 2025. The surge reflects Argentina’s steady rise in LPG output, which reached...
U.S. resin exporters are seeing a surge in container bookings as the Iran‑Israel conflict disrupts the Middle East’s dominant plastics supply chain. On March 16, Vizion recorded 6,191 daily export bookings, nearly double the 3,500‑4,500 range typical for 2026. The first...
Oil prices surged as the Iran‑U.S. conflict entered its third week, pushing Brent crude above $112 per barrel, the highest level since July 2022. The near‑closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about 20% of global oil shipments, and...
Iraq has instructed international oil companies operating in the country to curb output, invoking force majeure retroactively to March 3 because export routes through Basrah are effectively blocked. The loss of roughly 3.4 million barrels per day of export capacity follows a...
Gold prices posted their steepest weekly decline in over 14 years, tumbling 9.5% in the week to March 20. The slide was sparked by heightened uncertainty from the Iran‑Israel conflict, which paradoxically dampened gold’s safe‑haven appeal. A shifting Federal Reserve rate...
Indian spice exporters are confronting a sudden halt in US buyer outreach after the Iran war erupted, threatening a $500 million annual trade stream. The suspension of early‑year call‑ons has stalled order flow, while soaring freight, insurance and war‑risk surcharges inflate...
The IMF has been slow to deliver a comprehensive analysis of the Iran crisis and the de‑facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, despite its mandate to safeguard global financial stability. Standard IMF publications such as the World Economic Outlook...
Markets are pricing a more aggressive Bank of Canada tightening path, with traders betting on a cumulative 75 basis‑point increase by 2026 and a 25‑basis‑point hike as early as July. The central bank held its policy rate at 2.25% and...
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a short‑term general license allowing the purchase of Russian crude already on board vessels, effective March 12 through April 11. The waiver follows a similar 30‑day exemption for India and aims to dampen market turbulence caused...
The UK government is drafting contingency measures, including a 10 mph reduction on motorways, to curb oil demand as the Middle‑East conflict threatens global fuel supplies. The International Energy Agency has urged member states to adopt Covid‑style emergency actions such as...
Thai market volatility has softened as traders price in the early stages of the Middle East conflict. The SET index traded within a 1,400‑1,450 point band, while petrochemical and upstream energy stocks posted the strongest gains. Power, beverage and healthcare...
The FTSE 100 wiped out its 2026 gains as the Iran‑Israel conflict rattled markets and UK borrowing surged to over £14 billion in February. Money markets now price three quarter‑point rate hikes this year, driven by inflation spikes from higher oil...
India’s National Investigation Agency detained six Ukrainian nationals and a U.S. citizen for illegally entering Mizoram and allegedly liaising with Myanmar ethnic armed organizations. The agency claims the group sought to train insurgents and funnel European‑sourced weapons, including drones, to...
The war between Israel and Iran has escalated into direct strikes on oil and gas infrastructure, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz and pushing crude prices above $100 a barrel. Missile attacks have damaged the South Pars gas field and...
Energy and materials sectors lead the S&P 500 with near‑28% and 10% year‑to‑date gains, while the broader market slips more than 3% amid a weakening dollar and heightened geopolitical risk. Vista Gold, a pre‑revenue gold miner, closed 2025 debt‑free, raised $42 million...
Nigeria’s oil revenues are set to surge as the Iran‑Ukraine war pushes crude above $100 a barrel, a windfall for the country’s export‑driven economy. Yet the nation still imports most refined fuels, so higher global prices translate into steeper pump...
The recent Iran‑USA‑Israel escalation, highlighted by Operation Epic Fury and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has halted the flow of roughly 20 million barrels of oil daily, unsettling global energy markets. The disruption creates a strategic opening for Africa...
Oxford Economics slashed its UK GDP growth forecast to 0.4% from 0.9%, half the OBR’s estimate. The downgrade reflects rising oil and gas prices after the Iran‑Israel conflict, which keep interest rates high and increase business costs. Analysts warn that...
InvestHK director Alpha Lau urged Hong Kong to leverage its safe‑haven reputation to attract capital fleeing the Middle East conflict, noting a shift of firms from Dubai to the city. She highlighted growing interest from Gulf high‑net‑worth individuals and sovereign...
China’s shipments of rare‑earth permanent magnets to the United States fell 22.5% year‑on‑year in January‑February 2026, marking the seventh consecutive month of decline. The US now accounts for just 9.2% of China’s magnet exports, slipping to the third‑largest buyer behind...
Container lines are scrambling to move 40,000‑50,000 TEUs that have been temporarily stored at Indian ports toward the Middle East. Nhava Sheva alone has discharged roughly 25,000 TEUs, creating a bottleneck as carriers seek shuttle capacity at Gulf gateways. Alternative...
Recent U.S., Israeli, and Iranian strikes on Middle East oil and gas infrastructure have sharply lifted European natural‑gas prices. Because gas‑fired plants often set marginal electricity rates, merchant power prices across Europe are expected to rise in the near term....
China’s imports of discounted Russian crude surged to 21.8 million tonnes in January‑February 2026, a 40.9% year‑on‑year increase, while the dollar value rose only 5.8% due to steep discounts. Russian oil now makes up more than one‑fifth of China’s total crude...
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller warned that a prolonged oil price surge could seep into core inflation, making any shock more than a transitory blip. He noted that while structural inflation is edging toward the Fed’s 2% target, tariffs are...
Serbia secured a U.S. Treasury waiver extending sanctions relief for the Russian‑owned Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) until April 17, 2026, allowing continued crude oil imports amid the war on Iran. The waiver comes as Serbia imposed a ban on crude and...
The Iran‑Israel conflict is spilling into global oil markets as strikes target both the Hormuz corridor and Iran’s Kharg Island export hub. U.S. officials have responded with a Jones Act waiver, Strategic Petroleum Reserve drawdowns, and the prospect of releasing...
