Category
Commodities
Stories and analysis from The Business Now newsroom.
Commodities
Oil Nears $95: Could the Iran War Trigger a New U.S. Inflation Shock?
Oil at $95 Is Not the Real Story A crude-oil headline is easy to write: “Oil prices rise as Iran tensions escalate.” Reuters, Bloomberg, CNBC and WSJ can publish that story within minutes. But for TheBusinessNow, that isn’t enough. The bigger question is: What happens to the American economy if oil stays near $95 —...
Commodities
Strait of Hormuz Standoff: The Oil Shock That Could Hit the U.S. Economy Next
Strait of Hormuz Standoff: Why the Oil Market Is Getting Nervous Again The oil market is being forced to price a problem that seemed to be easing only weeks ago: the Strait of Hormuz is still not reliably functioning as a normal commercial shipping route. On August 19, Brent crude was trading around $91.20 a...
Commodities
China’s “Ice Silk Road” After Hormuz: The Arctic Shipping Route That Could Reshape Global Trade
China’s “Ice Silk Road” Is Moving From Vision to Reality For decades, the idea of using the Arctic Ocean as a major commercial highway between Asia and Europe seemed more like a geopolitical thought experiment than a realistic alternative to the Suez Canal. That is beginning to change. China is increasingly looking toward the Northern...
Business
Trump Threatens Oman Over Strait of Hormuz as US-Iran Talks Reach Critical Point
Trump Threatens Oman as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Deepens US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Oman, saying the United States could take military action if Oman interferes with Washington’s efforts to control shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The comments, reported on August 17, come at a highly sensitive...
Commodities
U.S.-Iran Deal Could Be Closer Than Trump’s Rhetoric Suggests: Pakistan Says Hormuz Talks Near Breakthrough
U.S.-Iran Deal Could Be Closer Than Trump’s Rhetoric Suggests: Pakistan Says Hormuz Talks Near Breakthrough Pakistan says the United States and Iran may be closer to an agreement than President Donald Trump’s latest hard-line statements suggest, raising fresh hopes that a diplomatic path could eventually reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease pressure on global...
Business
U.S. Debt Alert: Treasury Is Paying More Than $3 Billion a Day in Interest as Deficit Heads Toward $2.1 Trillion
U.S. Debt Alert: Treasury Is Paying More Than $3 Billion a Day in Interest as Deficit Heads Toward $2.1 Trillion America’s fiscal picture is coming under renewed pressure as the federal government faces rapidly rising interest costs and another enormous annual deficit. New Congressional Budget Office figures show that net interest on debt held by...
Business
U.S. Fires on Panama-Flagged Ship Near Iran Blockade: Vela Nova Incident Raises Fresh Maritime Crisis Fears
U.S. Fires on Panama-Flagged Ship Near Iran Blockade: Vela Nova Incident Raises Fresh Maritime Crisis Fears Meta Description: U.S. forces reportedly fired on Panama-flagged ship Vela Nova after it attempted to breach the blockade of Iranian ports. Here’s what happened and what it means. A new maritime confrontation in the Gulf region is putting the...
Commodities
Gold Is Waking Up to the Warsh Fed: Inflation Fears Could Keep Bullion on Edge
Gold Is Waking Up to the Warsh Fed: Inflation Fears Could Keep Bullion on Edge Gold is entering a new phase of the Federal Reserve story. The metal’s next major move may depend less on whether the Fed cuts rates and more on whether investors believe new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh can actually bring inflation...
Commodities
Trump Demands Answers From Hegseth Over U.S. Weapons Shortages as Iran War Strains Pentagon Stockpiles
Trump Demands Answers From Hegseth Over U.S. Weapons Shortages as Iran War Strains Pentagon Stockpiles The widening conflict with Iran is putting new pressure on the Pentagon as President Donald Trump has reportedly demanded answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over shortages of critical U.S. weapons and the military’s ability to sustain operations. The reported...