Bloomberg — 2026-04-13#

Lead Story#

US President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after weekend peace talks with Iran collapsed in Islamabad, sending oil prices surging back above $100 a barrel. Tensions escalated rapidly as Iran threatened to target all Gulf ports and Trump vowed to attack approaching Iranian vessels, though the US president later claimed Tehran had reached out to revive negotiations. The unfolding energy shock is rattling global markets, raising the prospect of $150 oil, and forcing energy-dependent economies across Asia and Europe to scramble for alternatives.

Bloomberg — 2026-04-15#

Lead Story#

US and Iranian officials are moving closer to a two-week ceasefire extension, a geopolitical reprieve that propelled the S&P 500 to its first record close since January. The prospect of renewed peace talks coincided with blockbuster first-quarter earnings from Wall Street’s trading desks, with Morgan Stanley and Bank of America posting record equities revenues on the back of heightened market volatility.

CNBC — 2026-04-15#

Lead Story#

The U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is now fully implemented, but equities are charging to all-time highs as President Donald Trump signals the Iran war is “very close to over” ahead of anticipated peace talks in Pakistan.

Markets & Economics#

Equities surged to fresh records, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closing at all-time highs as traders bet heavily on a diplomatic resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict. In How the Iran War is unfolding, coverage highlights how oil prices stabilized, with WTI hovering around $91 per barrel, despite the U.S. Central Command actively enforcing a blockade that cuts off 90% of Iran’s seaborne trade. On the monetary front, Fed’s Beth Hammack says she expects rates will ‘remain on hold for a good while’ as the central bank monitors compounding inflation shocks from the war and fresh tariffs. Meanwhile, President Trump escalated his pressure campaign on the central bank, threatening to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he does not voluntarily leave office at the end of his term in May.

Bloomberg — 2026-04-19#

Lead Story#

Tensions in the Middle East reached a new peak after the US Navy forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, blowing a hole in its engine room. The dramatic escalation prompted Iranian authorities to shut down the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping after a brief reopening, sending oil and gasoline prices surging and reviving broad global market volatility.

Bloomberg — 2026-04-27#

Lead Story#

Iran has signaled a willingness to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in an interim deal that would require the US to end its blockade of Iranian ports and delay nuclear negotiations. The proposal initially sparked a market rally and eased oil prices, but optimism faded rapidly after US President Donald Trump canceled his envoys’ planned trip, effectively stalling peace talks at the two-month mark. Consequently, Goldman Sachs lifted its oil-price forecasts, citing “extreme” inventory draws and warning of prolonged supply strains.

Bloomberg — 2026-04-28#

Lead Story#

The United Arab Emirates will officially leave OPEC and its wider alliance on May 1, dealing a severe structural blow to the cartel and its de facto leader, Saudi Arabia. The historic departure comes as global energy markets grapple with massive supply disruptions stemming from the war in Iran, which has sent Brent crude surging past $110 a barrel and effectively shuttered the Strait of Hormuz.

Bloomberg — 2026-05-10#

Lead Story#

President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the 10-week conflict in the Middle East, labeling the peace offer “totally unacceptable” and extending the closure of the critical Strait of Hormuz. The geopolitical impasse immediately triggered a surge in oil prices, sent US equity futures sliding, and fueled gold selloffs as inflation fears escalated. Saudi Aramco warned that energy markets will take months to normalize even if the strait reopened tomorrow, though the company concurrently posted blowout first-quarter profits driven by the war-induced spike in global crude and refined fuel prices.

Bloomberg — 2026-05-19#

Lead Story#

Yields on the US Treasury’s longest-dated bond surged to their highest level since 2007 as accelerating inflation fears fueled a massive selloff in global debt markets. The spike in yields—with traders increasingly zeroing in on the 5.5% mark—is unravelling Wall Street’s crowded artificial intelligence and chipmaker trades. This global bond market rout is complicating the landscape for central bankers, particularly incoming Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh and the European Central Bank, as they grapple with the persistent energy price shock stemming from the conflict in Iran.

Bloomberg — Week of 2026-05-16 to 2026-05-22#

Story of the Week#

The escalating conflict in Iran and the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered a profound energy-supply shock, sending shockwaves through global supply chains. This geopolitical gridlock has fueled sticky inflation and ignited a relentless global bond selloff, pushing long-term yields to nearly two-decade highs and complicating the macroeconomic landscape for incoming Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh.