Bitcoin is now worth $68 705, still off its high of $126 220. (Graphic: Nicola Mawson | Freepik, Pexels & US Govt.) As the war in the Middle East rages on and oil continues its surge, having hit $119 a barrel last week, Bitcoin is up 6.5% month-on-month, and some analysts and researchers say it…
The war has triggered a surge in crude oil prices above $100 per barrel, driven by heightened risks to global supply routes, including the Strait of Hormuz. The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has warned that the rising global oil prices, driven by the US/Israel and Iran conflict, could undermine Nigeria’s disinflation…
Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at a civilian airport in the island’s south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Friday. Washington wanted to relocate two of its missile-armed aircraft from a base in Djibouti to Sri Lanka’s civilian Mattala International Airport, Dissanayake told parliament. …
The lesson from every Middle East crisis is clear: global energy shocks will continue to occur, and their effects will continue to reverberate across the world. For Africa’s oil-rich but refining-poor economies, the real challenge is not merely surviving these shocks but using them as catalysts for structural transformation…Until that transformation occurs, events thousands of…
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Treasury yields edged lower Tuesday as investors weighed escalating tensions in the Middle East and rising oil prices ahead of the Federal…
As oil prices soared to more than $100 a barrel this week, what will the economic consequences of the war in the Middle East be for African countries? Which sectors are most at risk? RFI spoke to Guinea-Bissau economist Carlos Lopes, former executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and now a…
There is anxiety that Nigerians may continue to pay more for Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol alongside Automotive Gas Oil, called diesel as the price of crude oil rose to above $100 per barrel, yesterday. Many Nigerians had looked forward to lower fuel energy cost, following a drop on Wednesday to $92,…
Shipping companies, freight forwarders and other port users have raised concerns over the potential impact of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East on cargo throughput into Nigerian ports. They warned that the situation could also worsen Nigeria’s inflation if the conflict in the region persists. Speaking with Vanguard on the development, Chairman of the…
A shipping source says Engen cut back on fuel supplies to Gqeberha and Durban because of the Middle East conflict disrupting shipping routes. Big fuel price increases are expected in April 2026, with petrol going up by R2.78 and diesel by R5.03 per litre. Three local fuel retailer owners from different franchises say they have…
The recent escalation in the Middle East has reintroduced a geopolitical risk premium into global markets, as investors price in the chance of supply disruptions and wider regional instability. For South Africa, the transmission channel is primarily through oil prices rather than direct trade exposure, since the country is not a major direct exporter to the Gulf…
