Public Markets 3h Briefing
×Last updated: March 13, 2026, 1:31 AM ET
Energy & Commodities
Oil prices have surged due to the escalating Iran conflict, with Malaysia's subsidy bill expected to rise bloomberg.com and the yen sliding to its weakest level bloomberg.com since July 2024. The Middle East conflict is threatening global supplies beyond just oil and gas, roiling shipping and airfreight nytimes.com and creating ripple effects across commodity markets. In response to the crisis, Abu Dhabi National Oil bloomberg.com cut crude shipments for onshore partners by about a fifth while redirecting flows to Fujairah, though the UAE's moves have failed to stabilize markets. The geopolitical tensions have pushed Treasuries volatility bloomberg.com to a nine-month high as investors fear inflationary pressures from energy costs, with Germany's industrial sector particularly vulnerable to the surging energy costs nytimes.com that are threatening to derail European manufacturing recovery efforts.
Asian Market Reforms
Hong Kong is proposing to lower bloomberg.com the minimum market value for dual-class share listings as part of a broader strategy to revitalize its position as a premier global financial destination. The regulatory changes come as SoftBank's Pay Pay maintains its dual listing options bloomberg.com following its successful $880 million New York IPO, indicating continued confidence in Asian markets despite global volatility. Meanwhile, China appears to be driving major increases in strategic commodity inventories ft.com amid the Middle East tensions, though the scale and effectiveness of these stockpiles remain unclear to international observers.
Automotive & Industrial Response
Traditional automakers like Honda are scrapping EV plans nytimes.com while industry newcomers continue to push forward with electric vehicle development, highlighting a growing divide between established manufacturers and disruptive startups in the automotive sector. This retreat echoes similar strategic shifts by other legacy automakers as they reassess their capital allocation and technology investments in the face of changing market dynamics and high development costs.
Global Economic Impact
The Philippines is reviewing its oil law bloomberg.com as fuel prices have shot higher due to the Iran war, while the nation's labor market braces for further pain bloomberg.com after joblessness surged to the highest in nearly four years. In India, coal-related stocks have attracted bullish interest as Coal India shares bloomberg.com rose to their highest level in over 16 months amid gas shortages and harsh summer weather conditions that are driving demand for alternative energy sources. Despite President Trump's decision to lift Russian sanctions nytimes.com, oil prices have shown little reaction, suggesting that geopolitical concerns in the Middle East continue to outweigh supply-side considerations in the global energy markets.