#energy-sector-performance

#energy-sector-performance

The IEA sees global oil demand falling by 80,000 barrels per day this year, compared with a projected year-on-year rise of 640,000 bpd in its previous monthly report.

A 'workable system' of transit and shipowner confidence in the security of the transiting vessels is essential. This includes availability of insurance for transiting vessels, facilitating commercial trade financing, and sustained outbound vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz.

Shipping costs have increased by more than 10 percent in the past month due to the US-Israel war on Iran. The 60-day waiver for the Jones Act aimed to lower energy costs but has had little impact on oil prices, which continue to rise amid the ongoing conflict.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its global economic growth forecast as tensions between the United States and Iran have driven up energy and food costs globally. The IMF expected the global economy to grow by 3.1 percent this year, a slowdown from its earlier forecast of 3.3 percent.

The thinktank warned on Monday that surging gas, electricity and petrol prices had fundamentally altered the outlook for living standards in 2026. Before the Iran war erupted in late February, working-age households were tracking towards modest income growth of 0.9 per cent. That figure has now swung to a projected decline of 0.6 per cent, a turnaround worth £480 per household.

We are going through what we might call the mother of all crises. The world has witnessed many oil crises in the past 50 years, such as the post-COVID-19 crisis and following geopolitical tensions.

Instead of trying to predict whiplashing oil prices, consider investing in energy ETFs like the Invesco WilderHill Clean Energy ETF and First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure. These ETFs provide exposure to sectors such as pipelines and shipping, independent of oil price fluctuations.

The sharp decline in oil prices following the announcement played a key role in lifting sentiment. Lower energy costs could help ease inflation pressures and support both consumer demand and corporate margins.

China's exports have decelerated as the Iran war starts to affect global demand and supply chains, according to Gary Ng, a senior economist for Asia Pacific at French bank Natixis.

Major indices, including the Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500, and Dow Jones Industrial Average, all recorded gains, with the Nasdaq delivering its strongest weekly performance since November.

The war in the Middle East is exposing how dependent the world is on a handful of strategic chokepoints. The Strait of Hormuz a narrow waterway in the Gulf is closed. The longer this goes on, the faster the global energy map could be reshaped.