Charting the Global Economy: Israeli Airstrikes Boost Oil Prices
Crude oil prices surged and investors sought the safety of gold after Israel conducted airstrikes on Iranian atomic facilities involved in nuclear enrichment.
Economic data in the US showed underlying inflation in May rose by less than forecast for a fourth straight month, while producer price inflation remained muted. While Federal Reserve will likely keep interest rates unchanged at next week's meeting, officials may face more pressure to lower borrowing costs soon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Should You Buy Nvidia Before June 25? Here's What History Says (and It May Surprise You).
Artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse Nvidia recently impressed investors with soaring revenue that beat analysts' estimates. The stock climbed in the weeks following the report. Investors are closely watching Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's comments about future prospects for the company and the general AI market. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been one of the stock market's biggest movers and shakers in recent times. This is because the company plays a key role in a technology that has garnered everyone's attention: artificial intelligence (AI). Nvidia's chips power the training of models that set AI into action, and AI could change the world in much the same way the internet did several years ago. That's why investors have piled into Nvidia stock and have closely tuned in to anything the company's chief executive officer Jensen Huang has said. These comments offer us some visibility on what's ahead for the company -- and even the entire industry. So, it's not surprising that, often, after an Nvidia event, the stock will react. As we look at the calendar, it tells us that one such event is right around the corner. On June 25, Nvidia holds its annual meeting of stockholders. Should you buy the stock before then? History has something to say -- and it may surprise you. Before we get started, let's talk about Nvidia's most recent big moment, and that was the company's first-quarter earnings report on May 28. Nvidia wowed investors once again, as revenue soared 69% to more than $44 billion, surpassing analysts' estimates -- and importantly, the company spoke of ongoing strong demand for its new Blackwell architecture. The platform was designed specifically with inferencing in mind, a smart move considering that is the area of focus for many AI customers. Inferencing is the "thinking" process that results in AI coming up with answers to complex questions, and this requires significant power. "We're off to the races," Huang said during the earnings call, signaling much more growth lies ahead. Nvidia stock climbed in the post-earnings trading session, and though it fluctuated on certain trading days, it delivered a gain of about 6% in the two weeks following the report. Now, let's consider the upcoming shareholders' meeting. The company recently released the agenda, which includes items of business such as the election of directors nominated by the board of directors, advisory approval of executive compensation, and several other matters. These don't stand out as elements that will push the stock higher or lower, though any comments from Huang about the company's prospects could act as a catalyst. What does history show us about Nvidia's stock performance after a shareholders' meeting? As the chart shows, the stock fell in the days following last year's meeting, then went on to rebound in the weeks to follow. Nvidia followed a similar pattern in 2023. And in 2022, the stock also fell following the meeting, but didn't go on to recover so quickly -- in fact, Nvidia delivered a double-digit loss from that point through the end of the year. So it might seem surprising that, in spite of Nvidia's earnings and general message being positive over the past few years, the stock actually fell after each shareholder meeting. It's important to keep in mind, though, that this likely isn't a result of anything said or decided at the annual event. At this point in Nvidia's growth story, investors react to new or extremely strong messages from Huang -- but they may not reward the stock with gains after a "routine" sort of event such as a shareholder meeting. Now let's get back to our question: Should you buy Nvidia before June 25? History tells us there's no need to rush into the stock on anticipation of phenomenal gains following the shareholder meeting. But this doesn't mean Nvidia isn't a buy. The company has built a market-leading position and should maintain this thanks to its commitment to innovation. That makes Nvidia stock a fantastic addition to any AI portfolio, but you don't have to rush into it -- whether you buy Nvidia now or after the meeting, you have a great chance of winning over the long haul. Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Nvidia wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,702!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $870,207!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 988% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Adria Cimino has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Should You Buy Nvidia Before June 25? Here's What History Says (and It May Surprise You). was originally published by The Motley Fool 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Live Updates: Israel Bombards Tehran, Setting Oil Facilities Ablaze
Nearly all of Iran's oil exports come from the Port of Kharg Island Oil Terminal on a small coral land mass in the northern part of the Persian Gulf off the Iranian coast. The conflict between Israel and Iran appeared to be spreading on Saturday to Iran's energy infrastructure, raising fears about energy supplies from the Middle East. Iran's oil ministry blamed Israeli drones for attacking part of the South Pars natural gas field, one of the world's largest, and a refinery, causing fires at both. It is not clear how far Israel intends to go in attacking Iran's energy facilities, a crucial source of export cash for the country as well as domestic energy that looks particularly vulnerable. 'This is a first salvo into energy and a warning shot that Israel is willing to hit Iranian energy infrastructure if Israeli civilians are targeted,' said Richard Bronze, head of geopolitics at Energy Aspects, a research firm. Other Iranian installations are at risk, analysts say. 'There is one clear target that would make it very easy if Israel or the United States wanted to impact Iran's oil exports,' Homayoun Falakshahi, senior analyst for crude oil at Kpler, a research firm, said during a webinar on Friday. 'And this is Kharg Island.' Nearly all of Iran's oil exports leave from tankers at berths around Kharg Island, a small coral land mass in the northern part of the Persian Gulf off the Iranian coast, potentially making it a target in a protracted war, analysts say. Iran has been developing another terminal in Jask, a coastal city just outside the Strait of Hormuz on the Gulf of Oman, but its capacity appears to be limited, Mr. Falakshahi said. Israel's energy system also looks exposed, analysts say, which could potentially restrain its attacks. Were the fighting to escalate to major energy installations across the region, the consequences could be serious not only for Iran and its neighbors but for their customers, especially in Asia, and world markets. Oil prices have already jumped since the Israeli attack early Friday. Any escalation that might appear to threaten international supplies could send prices soaring. Iran's coastline stretches along the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passageway through which tankers and other ships must pass on their way from the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Iran has a history of interfering with shipping in the area. Kpler has estimated that 21 percent of the world's liquefied natural gas, most of it from Qatar, flowed through this gauntlet in 2024. A hefty 14 million barrels of crude oil a day also moves through the strait, according to Kpler's estimates. The conflict with Israel comes at a delicate point for Iran's petroleum industry, which is a crucial pillar for its economy and its ability to fund its nuclear program. Strikes on the Iranian facilities could potentially negate years of effort to rebuild production from the low levels at the beginning of this decade when President Trump pulled out of a deal reached by President Barack Obama under which Iran agreed to curbs on its nuclear program in return for an easing of sanctions, including on its oil sales. Oil production in Iran has increased around 75 percent to about 3.4 million barrels a day from depressed 2020 levels, while exports have roughly tripled, according to estimates from the International Energy Agency and Kpler. FGE, an energy consulting firm, estimates that Iranian energy export revenues, including oil products and electricity, have almost quadrupled since 2020 to $78 billion in 2024. Even before the Israeli strikes, Iran faced major handicaps. Although it has some of the world's richest troves of oil and natural gas, it has strained to exploit them largely because of protracted political tensions with the West dating to the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. These frictions have kept Western firms from working in Iran for years. Lack of capital and expertise has limited development of oil and natural gas fields and access to major investment projects like liquefied natural gas facilities that might have benefited the Iranian industry. Qatar, whose huge gas fields in the Persian Gulf border Iran's, has become rich through L.N.G. development with western partners like Shell and Exxon Mobil, which allow the natural gas to be exported to Europe and Asia. Despite having large natural gas resources, Iran has recently struggled to produce enough fuel to prevent power cuts. Much of Iran's petroleum infrastructure, including the refineries that supply products like gasoline to local markets, are old. If these facilities suffered significant damage, Iran 'might struggle more than maybe other countries' to find the spare parts and international support to repair them, Mr. Bronze said. Sanctions also mean that few customers are willing to buy Iranian oil. Nearly all of Iran's crude exports go to China. The main buyers are small refiners there, known as 'teapots' Mr. Falakshahi said, that are able to extract a substantial discount of up to $7 a barrel from the Iranians. If those refiners were unable to buy Iranian crude, they would need to look elsewhere, potentially tightening global markets. Even before the current conflict, signs were emerging of pressure on Iranian oil exports. The Trump administration has been tightening sanctions that saw a de facto easing in the Biden administration. Chinese imports dropped substantially in May, according to Kpler's estimates. Analysts say Israel's energy infrastructure could also prove vulnerable. Already, the Israeli government has as a precaution ordered a production halt at two of the country's three offshore natural gas platforms, including Leviathan, which is operated by Chevron. Gas fuels most of Israel's electric power generation. If this stoppage continued, it could also reduce or halt gas exports to Egypt, hurting customers there. Israel is also heavily dependent on imported oil brought through the port of Ashkelon in the south of the country. 'They are also very fragile,' Mr. Falakshahi said of Israel. The Saudis and the United Arab Emirates have worked in recent years to ease tensions with Iran and head off future incidents like the attack on a Saudi Aramco facility called Abqaiq in 2018 that temporarily knocked out about half of the kingdom's export capacity. Those attacks were claimed by the Houthi militant group in Yemen, but the United States at the time blamed Iran for them. Analysts have said it is conceivable that if Iran feels sufficiently threatened, it could target petroleum installations in those countries again. 'The question is,' Mr. Bronze said, how would Iran respond 'if it feels like its core economic interests, its energy system, have been attacked.' Farnaz Fassihi contributed reporting.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
What Are Climate Investors Saying About The State Of The Industry?
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows It's probably safe to say that 2025 has been an interesting year for climate investors everywhere. Especially in the United States. In many ways, we haven't seen the sector face these kinds of headwinds – energy policy, trade policy, macroeconomic uncertainty – in many years. The good folks at CTVC recently released a poll of around 100 climate investors (predominantly venture capitalists and private equity investors), which was quite illuminating. It provides a snapshot of a sector that is still trying to grapple with the challenges. Here are some insights I took away from the survey results: 1. The real pain hasn't been truly felt yet A plurality of those surveyed expect more bankruptcies in the sector, even among companies with strong underlying fundamentals. This reflects how difficult it is right now to raise capital for cash-burning companies in the sector – which is pretty much most venture-backed startups, by design. What I hear in talking with my investor peers out there is that many of them are 'pencils down' for the moment. They are tending to their existing portfolios and husbanding their capital reserves. Partly this may reflect a desire to have dry powder for when the market stabilizes and bargains will be available. But mostly it seems to indicate that VC/PE investors expect 2025 to be a really tough market for raising new capital into their own funds; plus they see their existing investments having a rough time of it, and so they don't want to spend what capital they have left on new bets. Of course, the vicious cycle of this is that when investors aren't writing new checks, they don't support any growing valuations and acquisitions of other investors' portfolio companies, which then means further reduced exit activity and lower valuations across the sector. And one of the factors that has held back fundraising for all PE/VC sectors recently has been institutional investors' frustrations at the lack of liquidity and returns, because of the lack of exits. And that was before this climate sectoral downturn. On the plus side, for the few firms out there still writing checks into new investments, they have their pick of the litter right now. 2. That said, the root causes of the pain probably start to fade in 2H25 Those surveyed pointed to policy uncertainty as by far the most meaningful headwind right now. A lot of this is tied up in the US federal governments' efforts to roll back key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. The target date for passage of the major rollback bill is the Fourth of July. While no one expects that target date to realistically be met, I am hearing from policymakers that they do think it'll have to pass in some form before the end of the summer. Whether it's good news or bad news, at least it will then be crystalized and investors and entrepreneurs will be able to react accordingly. Right now it's simply the uncertainty that's a killer for investor appetites. To be clear, these next three and a half years will almost certainly see continued significant uncertainty and political attacks on renewables and climate solutions. That's what happened eight years ago, so we can expect it this time soon. But what also happened eight years ago was that investments into climate solutions actually grew anyway. The macro theses around climate solutions and adoption of new technologies by huge markets (energy, food, water, waste, transportation) aren't going away. So as soon as this period of acute uncertainty fades back into a dull roar upon final passage of the major federal bill, we can expect check-writing to become more active again. I wrote about this a couple of months ago, and while the attacks on renewables and climate solutions have been even more vindictive and effective than I initially expected, I still personally expect to see dealmaking activity come back in force by year-end. 3. The 'Missing Middle' is still… missing After last year's New York Climate Week, I wrote about how everyone was talking about 'The Missing Middle' – while still managing to disagree about what it actually meant. For some it meant Series B/Cs, for some it mean first-of-a-kind (FOAK) project finance, and for yet others like myself it means the true bridge between FOAKs and when mainstream infrastructure is prepared to back a new project developer and their new solution, and carry them into the broader market at scale. Regardless of which definition investors favor, they're all still very much pain points, according to this survey. And now the team at CTVC have taken it one step further, identifying what they describe as a 'missing middle within the missing middle', for projects that cost somewhere between $45-100M. This makes sense, because below that level it's more feasible for early project deployments to be funded by some combination of venture / growth capital and non-dilutive capital, and above $100M even an early stage project can at least fit the preferred check size of larger infrastructure and PE firms. The fact remains that there are just simply too few investors with both the appetite and the know-how needed to effectively partner with less-mature project developers on distributed infrastructure projects. It's a multidisciplinary challenge requiring a mix of skillsets that few investment firms have, and an awkward deal size. And so I don't personally expect this market gap to be sufficiently filled anytime soon, even if the overall conditions for the sector do improve. As an industry, we just simply need more firms that know how to do this. 4. Is now the time to be a contrarian? Notably, despite the negative headwinds especially hitting the renewables subsector right now, that was still the most popular area for the investors surveyed. Why? Because that's what has always been the most popular area, I suppose. But there are very interesting yet less-favored areas like waste-to-value, climate adaptation and resilience, and yes even transportation. And the underlying fundamentals for those subsectors remain strong. For example, while the IRA rollback effort will inevitably mean a significant reduction in U.S. federal support for electric vehicles, nevertheless the adoption of EVs continued in Q1 even despite a terrible quarter for the U.S.'s leading brand (Tesla). Despite all the negative headlines, the electrification of transportation is still happening – quite often for simple economic reasons, not 'green' ones. So is now the time to be a contrarian investor and to target those less-favored opportunities where the long term shifts remain quite clear? To take advantage of the timidity of more headlines-influenced investors and to step in before the subsectoral rebounds become obvious to all? It would take a bold VC or private equity investor to purposefully take such a stance. But the survey results do suggest it's an available strategy, at least. Overall, as we near the halfway point of 2025, it's been one of the toughest half-years for U.S. climate investors and their portfolios that I can remember in my career. And most of this is unnecessary self-inflicted harm. There will absolutely end up being long-term, tragic damage done to the U.S. economy because of what we are seeing here in 2025. But there are also signs of resilience, and some hope that there will be new green shoots of growth later in the year.
