Iran Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.When the 1973 oil crisis struck, it dramatically changed the way that economies used fossil fuels such as petroleum. Economies are still fossil-fuel dependent, but much less than about 50 years ago. The West Asia war could prove another turning point in the story of dependence on fossil fuels.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.It has been a bruising week for the news cycle, starting with gunfire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and ending with a geopolitical jolt from the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) exit from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec).Let’s begin with Washington.President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and other senior officials were rushed to safety after shots were heard outside the venue hosting the annual gathering of journalists and political leaders.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Iran war has offered China, Russia and North Korea—the U.S.’s biggest security threats—a rare opportunity to learn about the capabilities and limitations of the U.S. military.The three powers have witnessed certain new American weapons in combat for the first time, including lightning-fast precision airstrikes assisted by artificial intelligence.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: Fast-moving consumer goods makers are leaning on a mix of price increases, smaller pack sizes and tighter cost controls to navigate raw-material volatility triggered by the ongoing US-Iran war, while still reporting robust volume growth for the March quarter. The ongoing war blew up end February this year, disrupting global supply chains.Executives at top firms said calibrated pricing and ‘shrinkflation’ are helping them protect margins. The trend shows staples demand have held up, but also points to a gradual pass-through of higher commodity and packaging costs to consumers as geopolitical disruptions keep input prices elevated.At Hindustan Unilever Ltd, the strategy is already in motion.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Last year was a major step forward in the clean energy revolution, with installations of renewable sources such as solar panels and wind turbines hitting record highs not only in the developed world, but in emerging economies too. But then came the war in Iran, a global curve ball that’s bound to change our collective future in unpredictable ways.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Is curbing oil demand the way ahead to stabilize global energy markets? That could be the case as the global energy landscape stares at a critical rebalancing act.The escalating conflict in West Asia is forcing the global oil market into a phase of “demand destruction”, with nearly 4.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) of supply shortfall expected to be absorbed through lower consumption, according to a report by PL Capital.Global oil prices have been on the boil since the outbreak of the conflict between the US and Iran, triggering the biggest energy crisis. However, prices fell briefly on account of the two-week ceasefire agreed on 8 April.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For almost five decades, Iran’s Islamic government has survived financial pressure from the U.S. by selling oil to China. It confronted American military might with guerrilla tactics.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.President Trump says he is weighing whether to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in Germany. If he goes ahead, it would reshape the military presence that has allowed America to project power in Europe, the Middle East and beyond.Trump’s remarks came amid a spat with German Chancellor Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who told a group of students that the U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Indian equities ended the holiday-truncated week only marginally higher, as stalled talks between the US and Iran and president Donald Trump's rejection of Tehran's proposal to remove the blockade of Hormuz pushed crude prices to a three-year high of $126 per barrel.Still, benchmark indices posted their best monthly show in nearly three years in a relief rally, as investors piled into beaten-down stocks after US and Iran announced a ceasefire early in April following more than a month of conflict.Surging crude prices pushed the rupee to a record low of 95.32 against the US dollar, sparking concerns that a fragile West Asia truce could unravel, intensifying inflationary and margin pressures. The weakening currency also accelerated foreign outflows, further dampening market sentiment.The Nifty 50 slipped 0.3% to 23,997.55, while the Sensex fell 0.8% to 76,913.5 on Thursday amid geopolitical concerns.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.How should you invest now that Kevin Warsh is almost certain to be the next Federal Reserve chair? The short answer: Stay the course.Warsh is headed for Senate confirmation and is likely to take over from Jerome Powell in mid-May. His first meeting leading the Federal Open Market Committee will be in June.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Strait of Hormuz chokehold inflames oil prices and causes jitters in India. In a seeming upturn, the Iranian ambassador to India met journalists on 13 April to say there is continual engagement with the Indian government. He is also reported to have said no Indian ships had been charged for passage through the strait.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.When Yeats wrote his celebrated poem The Second Coming in 1919, the lines “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;/Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world” caught the world’s attention, recovering as it was from the wanton violence of World War I. What inspired the poet is contested, but his words are as relevant today as they were a century ago. The senseless Iran war is taking the core of global certainties apart, with much of the globally accepted compact coming unstuck.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.WASHINGTON—Just weeks after President Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz “COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS” only to see ship traffic stall, the administration is now asking other countries to join a new international coalition that would enable ships to navigate the waterway.The effort, called the “Maritime Freedom Construct,” was spelled out in an internal State Department cable sent to U.S. embassies on Tuesday that called on U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s outsourcing industry, its largest white-collar employer, is a juggernaut that has all but stopped moving. The dollar revenue at the top five software-services exporters has grown slower than 3% for 10 straight quarters—a shadow of the double-digit expansion in the previous two decades. As these companies squeeze hiring to survive the existential challenge posed by artificial intelligence (AI), the aftershocks are starting to upend everything from real-estate demand to mortgage-underwriting norms.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Investors will be keenly watching how the US-Iran war-induced volatility in raw materials in March impacted Hindustan Unilever Ltd's (HUL) margins when the packaged consumer goods giant announces its fourth-quarter results on Thursday.HUL is expected to post a profit after tax of ₹2,612 crore and revenue of ₹16,270 crore in the three months ended 31 March, according to Bloomberg's 21-analyst estimate. In the third quarter, it reported a net profit before exceptional items of ₹2,562 crore and revenue of ₹16,235 crore.The company, often considered a proxy for consumption in India, has had a tough March quarter, with several key inputs used across its product portfolio directly exposed to disruptions triggered by the US-Iran war.For example, the price of palm oil, a key ingredient for HUL, which makes soaps under brands such as Lux, Lifebuoy, Dove, Pears, Rexona and Hamam, has been rising as the war has pushed major producers such as Malaysia and Indonesia to increase their biodiesel capacity.Similarly, prices of liquid paraffin, used in creams, have edged up slightly.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.WHEN THE Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meets on April 29th, the club will be contemplating the departure of one of its longest-standing members. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has been part of the cartel since Abu Dhabi joined in 1967, has announced it will leave on May 1st. The war in Iran and its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have choked off the region’s energy exports, hammering the UAE and its neighbours in the Gulf.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.President Trump has instructed aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran, U.S. officials said, targeting the regime’s coffers in a high-risk bid to compel a nuclear capitulation Tehran has long refused.In recent meetings, including a Monday discussion in the Situation Room, Trump opted to continue squeezing Iran’s economy and oil exports by preventing shipping to and from its ports.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.After recovering nearly 7.5% between the March and April derivatives series amid the Iran war, options traders are baking in a near 900-point range for Nifty from Tuesday's closing of 23,995.70 over the next one week, per exchange data.Traders expect the Nifty to trade in a 23,558–24,442 range until next Tuesday, based on the volume weighted average price per share (65 shares make one contract) of the 24,000 call and put options expiring on 5 May."The price of the 24,000 straddle (call and put) indicates a rangebound market after the smart rally from the March to April derivatives expiry," said Kruti Shah, quant analyst at Equirus.Shah expects upside pressure to set in around 24,550–24,600, which coincides with the market high of 21 April — 24,601.7 — after which the index corrected 2.5% to Tuesday's close of 23,995.7.A Nifty derivatives series expires on the last Tuesday of every month. During the course of an expiry month, the NSE offers a weekly index options expiry every Tuesday.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Dubrovnik, CroatiaEurope’s data center markets need more energy. Demand for energy to power the data centers is projected to grow from 10 gigawatts in 2024 to 35 gigawatts by 2030.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.As the Nifty 50 crashed more than 11% in March amid escalating tensions between the US, Iran and Israel, equity funds slashed their cash holdings throughout the month, aggressively buying into stocks at beaten-down prices. This widespread reduction in liquidity highlighted how differently fund managers utilize "dry powder" during a crisis.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.I can see from your coat, my friend, that you’re from the other side/ Can you tell me, please—who won the war?—Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills, Nash and YoungIt is now relatively quiet on the West Asian front and there is little doubt that we have moved away from the brinkmanship of 7 April, a critical turning point. On that day, US President Donald Trump threatened a civilizational war against Iran, which responded by mobilizing human shields to protect critical infrastructure and suspending truce talks with the US. In that moment, the price of Brent crude oil for physical delivery briefly surged to $144 per barrel and headlines warned of ‘Armageddon.’ This marked the peak of global panic.