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About 90 ships cross the Strait of Hormuz as Iran exports millions of barrels of oil despite the war

HONG KONG, March 18, 2026 (AP) — About 90 ships including oil tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the outset of the war with Iran and it is still exporting millions of barrels of oil at a time when the waterway has been effectively closed, according to maritime and trade data platforms. Many of the vessels that passed through the strait were so-called “dark” transits evading Western government sanctions and oversight that likely have ties to Iran, maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence said. More recently, vessels with ties to India and Pakistan have also successfully crossed the

Federal Reserve could signal no interest rate cuts this year in wake of Iran war

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2026 (AP) — A key question hangs over the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting that ends Wednesday: Will central bank policymakers still reduce short-term interest rates this year, now that the Iran war has sent oil prices higher and gas prices spiking? Or will they have to stand pat for months to see how the conflict plays out? Fed Chair Jerome Powell is almost certain to announce Wednesday that the central bank has kept its key rate unchanged for the second straight meeting at about 3.6%. But the Fed will also release a set of quarterly projections, and

Iran war has US farmers worried about the cost and availability of fertilizer

BISMARCK, N.D., March 18, 2026 (AP) — Tennessee farmer Todd Littleton expects to pay $100,000 more for fertilizer this season, a 40% spike from his bill last year thanks to the war in Iran — and he is scrambling to cover that extra cost. “The problem is, is we’re so strained financially coming into this issue,” said Littleton, a third-generation farmer from Gibson County in the state’s northwest corner. “We have had a couple of record losses the last couple years, so everyone’s kinda grabbing at straws anyway, and then to have input prices increase yet again, it just really

Stock markets rally in early trade

Mumbai, Mar 18 (PTI) Stock market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rallied in early trade on Wednesday, building on gains of the past two trading sessions, amid a drop in crude oil prices and a firm trend in global peers. A sharp rally in IT stocks also led to the optimistic trend in the domestic markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 518.84 points to 76,589.68 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty surged 157.75 points to 23,738.90. From the 30-Sensex firms, Tata Consultancy Services, InterGlobe Aviation, Trent, HCL Tech, Infosys and Mahindra & Mahindra were among the major gainers. HDFC

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