17/07/2026 – United States – Iran: Conflict spreads to civilian targets, Tehran threatens total blockade of energy exports from the region – Read more news

GAS & POWER: The upward march in gas prices continues after the United States conducted its sixth consecutive day of raids in the Gulf overnight, also hitting civilian infrastructure such as bridges, railways, and power lines, further heightening the intensity of the conflict. Tehran reiterated its halt to energy exports from the region, suggesting that Yemen's Houthis were also involved in possible retaliation in the Bab el-Mandeb area.

EQUITY: Black Friday for financial markets, which are facing widespread sales due to renewed fears about the tech bubble and the intensifying conflict in the Middle East – Asia is particularly hard hit, with the NIKKEI index falling 4%, while the Korean KOSPI fell 6%. Yet another price hike in commodities is in fact leading some Fed and ECB officials to open up new price hikes in the medium term.