Iran Races to Get Its Oil Out Into the World
Iran is rapidly exporting oil, a sign of the unusual logistical steps that Tehran is undertaking as the US mulls joining Israel in bombing the Persian Gulf state. Satellite images of the oil storage sites at Kharg Island show that the reservoirs were only partly full on June 11, but were brimming with crude on June 18. Bloomberg's Alaric Nightingale reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
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Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Morning Bid: Relief at two-week Middle East window
By Mike Dolan LONDON (Reuters) -What matters in U.S. and global markets today I'm excited to announce that I'm now part of Reuters Open Interest (ROI), an essential new source for data-driven, expert commentary on market and economic trends. You can find ROI on the Reuters website, and you can follow us on LinkedIn and X. Last month's China-U.S. trade showdown turned world markets' focus to Geneva, and that's where attention is yet again, only this time for European talks with Iran, as President Donald Trump has delayed a decision on direct U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war to allow a two-week window for negotiations. It's Friday, so I'll provide a quick overview of what's happening in global markets and then offer you some weekend reading suggestions away from the headlines. Today's Market Minute * Iran said on Friday it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, as Europe sought to draw Tehran back into negotiations and the United States considers whether to get involved in the conflict. * Investor unease about an increasingly uncertain environment is rising, as Norway's shock rate cut on Thursday highlights how U.S. tariffs, Middle East conflict and a shaky dollar make global monetary policy and inflation even harder to predict. * The Federal Reserve took a slightly hawkish turn on Wednesday, indicating it is worried more about rising inflation than slowing growth. But Chair Jerome Powell suggested this outlook should be taken with a large grain of salt, writes ROI markets columnist Jamie McGeever. * UK finance minister Rachel Reeves insists higher economic growth is her top priority, but the government's current plan to address the country's chronically low investment is unlikely to be ambitious enough. What may be needed is a structural rethink of the finance ministry itself, argues Mike Peacock, the former head of communications at the Bank of England. Relief at two-week Middle East window Even though U.S. markets were closed for the Juneteenth holiday on Thursday, Wall St futures fell sharply during the day as tensions over the Israel-Iran war boiled. But those losses were mostly reversed before the market re-opened on Friday after Trump gave Tehran a fortnight to come up with a compromise before he decides whether to add U.S. firepower to Israel's air attacks on Iranian nuclear installations. Drone and missile attacks between the two warring sides continue, however. As is always the case with Middle East conflicts, the price of oil is the lodestar. Iran is OPEC's third-largest producer. U.S. crude came within a whisker of five-month highs on Thursday before falling back today to just over $75 per barrel. While a major concern, the rise in energy prices is still shy of a "shock", with crude prices down 7% year-on-year despite the tense situation. Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany along with the European Union's foreign policy chief were due to meet their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in Geneva on Friday to try to de-escalate the conflict. If Trump goes to the wire with his decision about direct U.S. involvement in the war, this will coincide with the expiration of his 90-day pause on "reciprocal" tariff hikes across the world, further fogging up the windscreen for world markets. Treasury yields were steady going into Friday's open, as investors juggled the energy picture and this week's relatively hawkish Federal Reserve meeting. The dollar fell back from Thursday's highs. While the median forecast from Fed policymakers is still two interest rate cuts over the rest of the year, inflation forecasts were nudged higher and 7 of the 19 central bankers now expect no further easing in 2025. But confident forecasting is next to impossible now for the major central banks as they try to balance edgy oil prices, uncertain tariff hikes and multiple geopolitical risks. The Bank of England and Bank of Japan also left their key policy rates unchanged this week, largely for those reasons. Two rate cuts did emerge this week, however. Swiss interest rates returned to zero as expected as the Swiss National Bank battles the deflationary effects of currency strength, largely due to the franc's "safe haven" appeal. Norway surprised with a quarter point cut as well, taking the heat out of an oil-driven crown that had hit two-year highs this week. Stock markets around the world rallied on Friday as the oil price fell back, with Japan's Nikkei bucking that trend and ending slightly in the red again. A relatively thin trading session is expected on Wall Street later following the holiday on Thursday, though unfolding events in the Middle East will continue to create considerable trepidation before the close. The Philadelphia Fed's June business survey tops the data diary. Next week's events are led by Fed boss Jerome Powell's semi-annual congressional testimony on Tuesday and Wednesday and the release of the Fed's favored inflation gauge - the personal consumption expenditures measure - on Friday. A NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday adds to the geopolitical focus. Elsewhere, sterling was firmer in the wake of the BOE decision, even with a surprisingly poor UK retail sales readout for May. There was some marginally better news from UK public borrowing numbers. While slightly above forecasts for May, the government has borrowed 37.7 billion pounds over the first two months of the 2025/26 fiscal year, less than the 40.7 billion pounds the Office for Budget Responsibility had predicted. In China, foreign direct investment from January to May fell 13.2% from the same period last year, more than had been forecast. And the European Union said it will bar Chinese companies from participating in EU public tenders for medical devices worth 60 billion euros or more ($68.9 billion) per year after concluding that EU companies are not given fair access in China. Weekend reading suggestions * MONETIZING DEBT: With no end in sight for outsize U.S. deficits and debt accumulation, the Fed "will almost certainly" be forced to monetize enough federal debt to prevent a default at some point, according to former Bank of England policymaker Willem Buiter and Professor Anne Sibert. Higher inflation and interest rates "are all but assured", they wrote in a column on Project Syndicate. "The Fed will have no choice but to engage in sovereign debt purchases that it knows to be incompatible with its monetary-policy objectives," they concluded. "The inflation surge could be no more than three years away." * EMOTIONAL FED?: Central bank communication is one of the most closely watched signals by markets, but it is not just what is said, but how it is said, argue economists Dimitris Anastasiou, Apostolos Katsafados, Christos Tzomakas and Steven Ongena in a paper on CEPR's VoxEU site. "Even subtle emotional cues can shift expectations and pricing behaviour in financial markets," they wrote. "Portfolio managers, particularly in the banking sector, may need to recalibrate models to include emotional tone as a market-moving variable." * US FIRMS MUSCLE IN: U.S. defense giants, backed by a Congressional delegation, used this week's Paris Airshow to showcase their cutting-edge technology and court European partners as they seek to tap into the rising regional military spending. Reuters' Joe Brock, Giulia Segreti, Paul Sandle and Tim Hepher show how despite the pledges by many European nations to boost military self-sufficiency, the continent remains heavily reliant on U.S. defense firms such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Anduril, Palantir and Elon Musk's SpaceX. * G6-PLUS?: President Trump's early departure from this week's G7 summit in Canada left the group without an overarching agreed communique and raised questions about the future shape of the group. Writing on the Chatham House site, the RIIA's economy and finance director Creon Butler outlines different formats that could be considered, including "G6-plus" without the full attendance of the United States or "G7-plus" with invited guests and limited issue-specific statements. * REFINING OKLAHOMA: Nestled beneath Oklahoma's Wichita Mountains sits a warehouse containing the only machine in the United States capable of refining nickel, a crucial energy transition metal now dominated by China. President Donald Trump has said he wants to boost U.S. production of minerals and, as Reuters' Ernest Scheyder shows, Oklahoma's push into minerals processing marks a turn in efforts to wean America off Chinese rivals. The state houses the country's only nickel refinery, its largest lithium refinery, two lithium-ion battery recycling plants, a rare earths magnet facility, and several electronic waste collection facilities. That's more than in any other state. Chart of the day During the parade of central bank meetings this week, Swiss interest rates returned to zero, and Norway's central bank surprised markets with a quarter point cut. Both decisions were currency-related and have been influenced by the swooning dollar and rising geopolitical tensions. The supercharged Swiss franc has drawn safe-haven demand and threatens Switzerland with deflation, as it flirts with 10-year highs against the green back. The Norwegian crown is highly linked to the oil price and hit its strongest level in two years this month as crude shot higher on Middle East worries. The major central banks all held the line, largely due to growing uncertainty over trade, oil prices and war. Today's events to watch * Philadelphia Federal Reserve's June business survey (8:30 a.m. EDT), May leading indicator (10:00 a.m. EDT); Canada May house prices, retail sales and producer prices (8:30 a.m. EDT) * European foreign ministers meet Iranian counterpart in Geneva * European Union finance ministers meet in Luxembourg, European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos attends * U.S. corporate earnings: Accenture, Kroger, Carmax, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Darden Restaurants Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias. Want to receive the Morning Bid in your inbox every weekday morning? Sign up for the newsletter here. (By Mike Dolan; Editing by Anna Szymanski)
Bloomberg
21 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Two-Week Pause on Iran Strike, Oil Price Eases
President Donald Trump will decide within two weeks whether to strike Iran, his spokeswoman said, as Israel hit more Iranian nuclear sites and warned its attacks may bring down the leadership in Tehran. 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' Trump said in a dictated message, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. The Opening Trade has everything you need to know as markets open across Europe. With analysis you won't find anywhere else, we break down the biggest stories of the day and speak to top guests who have skin in the game. Hosted by Guy Johnson, Kriti Gupta and Lizzy Burden. (Source: Bloomberg)
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22 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Texas Oil Dynasty Targets Payout With $8 Billion Mitsubishi Deal
By and Pui Gwen Yeung Save Albert and Gordon Huddleston are on the cusp of cementing their place in a gilded lineage of Texas oil tycoons who amassed fortunes drilling across the world. The father and son — part of the H.L. Hunt family — are in advanced talks to sell the assets of Aethon Energy Management to Mitsubishi Corp. for nearly $8 billion, people familiar with the matter say.
