Month: March 2026
Market Update: Markets hold their breath
Donald Trump’s apparent olive branch to Iran helped to temporarily stabilise markets last week. Stock prices gained a little in the early part of the week, government bond yields fell back from recent highs, and energy prices dropped back from last Friday’s peak. None of these moves were that big, however, and, more importantly, all were brief.
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Market Update: Challenged optimism
The Iran War keeps dragging down markets. Israel’s strike on Iran’s South Pars gas facility, followed by Iran’s strike on a Qatari liquified natural gas facility – the largest in the world – saw crude oil spike above $115 per barrel and European natural gas prices surge. The FTSE 100 dropped 2.3% on Thursday, and European stocks similarly fell. Escalation has forced markets to reconsider their optimistic view on the extent of the war. At the same time, though, we suspect these events have made de-escalation more likely.
Market Update: It takes two to TACO
Stock markets pulled back over the last couple of days, as oil prices rose to around $100 per barrel (pb). Before that, equities had been holding up okay, particularly large cap stocks. Sterling has slipped about 0.5% against the US Dollar which has helped to offset some equity weakness, meaning global equity portfolios are only slightly lower. Bonds continue to be surprisingly weak, especially in the UK. The 15-year UK government bond now yields 5.16% (0.5% more than before the war).
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Market Update: War disrupts energy markets
The Iran war has plunged markets into uncertainty with spot Brent crude oil above $105 per barrel (and having touched $120 pb) and European natural gas prices now more than doubled. European and Asian stocks have been hit harder than the US, and the dollar has risen – reversing recent trends.
Market Update: Outright war on Iran’s leaders begins
In response to the US-Israeli military strikes and Iran’s responses, markets have reacted in the way most would have expected.