Economics 5 March 2026 - 13 March 2026

NatWest Group Plc stock price slides as oil shock upends UK rate-cut bets
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NatWest Group Plc stock price slides as oil shock upends UK rate-cut bets

NatWest Group shares fell 2.55% to 573 pence Thursday as rising oil prices hit UK bank stocks and dampened hopes for a near-term Bank of England rate cut. The FTSE bank index dropped 4.8%. NatWest recently agreed to buy Evelyn Partners for £2.7 billion and reported 2025 pretax profit of £7.7 billion, but analysts warn higher energy costs and delayed rate cuts could pressure profits.
March 13, 2026
Barclays Share Price Falls Again as Oil Shock Delays Bank of England Rate Cuts
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Barclays Share Price Falls Again as Oil Shock Delays Bank of England Rate Cuts

Barclays shares fell 1.7% to 382.75 pence Friday, extending Thursday’s 5.1% drop, as investors retreated from UK banks after weak economic data and delayed rate cut expectations. The stock now trades nearly 30% below its March 2 peak. Barclays recently raised profit targets and announced plans to return over £15 billion to shareholders between 2026 and 2028.
March 13, 2026
Macquarie Group Stock Price Falls 2.7% as Oil Shock Revives RBA Hike Fears
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Macquarie Group Stock Price Falls 2.7% as Oil Shock Revives RBA Hike Fears

Macquarie Group shares fell 2.67% to A$195.75 on Thursday, extending losses as surging oil prices and rate hike fears weighed on Australian financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 closed down 1.31%. Markets now price a three-in-four chance the Reserve Bank of Australia will raise rates on March 17. Macquarie’s stock is down sharply from its February high after reporting improved profits.
March 12, 2026
Barclays Stock Price Today: Shares Slip After 5% Jump as Oil Rebound Clouds BoE Outlook
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Barclays Stock Price Today: Shares Slip After 5% Jump as Oil Rebound Clouds BoE Outlook

Barclays shares fell 1.05% to 413.4 pence in London on Wednesday after oil prices surged, cutting into the previous day’s 5.13% rally. Brent crude rose 3.8% to $91.11 a barrel as traders doubted the impact of an IEA reserve release amid the Iran war. Barclays reported UK card spending up just 1.1% in February and faces a £495 million exposure to collapsed lender Market Financial Solutions.
March 11, 2026
Glencore Share Price Slips as Australia Strike Threat Tests Copper-Led Growth Story
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Glencore Share Price Slips as Australia Strike Threat Tests Copper-Led Growth Story

Glencore shares fell 6.9 pence to 515.7 pence Wednesday as workers at its Townsville copper refinery in Australia threatened to strike after failed pay talks. The dispute follows Rio Tinto’s exit from takeover talks and comes as CEO Gary Nagle considers a possible secondary ASX listing. Glencore expects annual copper output to exceed 1 million tonnes by 2028. The refinery is still expected to lose money despite government support.
March 11, 2026
Westpac Banking Corporation Sees Consumer Sentiment Lift, but Late-Week Drop Sets Up RBA Test
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Westpac Banking Corporation Sees Consumer Sentiment Lift, but Late-Week Drop Sets Up RBA Test

Australian consumer sentiment rose 1.2% in March, but late survey responses showed a sharp drop as Middle East tensions escalated, Westpac said Tuesday. The Westpac-Melbourne Institute index reached 91.6, while a rival ANZ-Roy Morgan measure fell to 73.4, its lowest since July 2023. Westpac reported A$1.9 billion in unaudited December quarter profit, but flagged housing supply and inflation as ongoing concerns.
March 10, 2026
Natural Gas Prices Today: Europe Gas Slides From 3-Year High, but Supply Risks Linger
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Natural Gas Prices Today: Europe Gas Slides From 3-Year High, but Supply Risks Linger

European natural gas prices dropped sharply Tuesday, with the Dutch TTF benchmark falling 7.98 euros to 48.47 euros/MWh after President Trump suggested the Middle East conflict could end soon. Despite the decline, Europe’s gas storage remains below 30% and LNG shipments from Qatar are blocked, keeping competition for replacement cargoes high. U.S. LNG exports to Europe surged, but supply flexibility is limited.
March 10, 2026
Oil Nears $120 as Iran War Hammers KOSPI, Asian Stocks and Wall Street
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Oil Nears $120 as Iran War Hammers KOSPI, Asian Stocks and Wall Street

Oil prices jumped to $119.50 a barrel Monday as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran disrupted Gulf supplies and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Stocks tumbled worldwide; Seoul's KOSPI fell 8.8%, and Europe's STOXX 600 dropped 1.8%. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain slashed output. Hundreds of tankers idled near Hormuz, and airline fares soared as jet fuel costs spiked.
March 9, 2026
Spain’s IBEX 35 Suffers Worst Week in Four Years on BME as Oil Shock Bites
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Spain’s IBEX 35 Suffers Worst Week in Four Years on BME as Oil Shock Bites

Spain’s IBEX 35 fell about 7% this week to 17,074.40, marking its worst weekly loss in four years amid a surge in oil prices and a retreat from risk assets. European stocks broadly dropped, with the STOXX 600 down 5.5%. Banks including Santander slid 3% to 5% on Monday. BME announced Aedas Homes will exit the IBEX Small Cap and Top Dividendo indices after a takeover by Neinor DMP BidCo.
March 7, 2026
Bombay Stock Exchange Last Week: Sensex Logs Worst Week in 14 Months as Oil Shock Hits Indian Stocks
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Bombay Stock Exchange Last Week: Sensex Logs Worst Week in 14 Months as Oil Shock Hits Indian Stocks

Mumbai’s Sensex posted its steepest weekly drop in 14 months, falling 2.9% to 78,918.90 as oil prices surged after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. The rupee hit a record low past 92, prompting the RBI to sell an estimated $12 billion to steady the currency. Financials and oil stocks led declines, while 15 of 16 major sectors fell. The Nifty 50 also lost 2.9% for the week.
March 7, 2026
Last Week on Toronto Stock Exchange: TSX Slides 3.7% as Oil Shock Wipes Out Record Run
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Last Week on Toronto Stock Exchange: TSX Slides 3.7% as Oil Shock Wipes Out Record Run

Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 1.6% Friday to 33,083.72, ending its worst week in over a month as war-driven oil spikes and inflation fears hit most sectors. The index dropped 3.7% for the week, despite starting with a record high Monday. Oil prices surged after the Strait of Hormuz closed, fueling concerns over inflation and growth. The Canadian dollar rose 0.5% on the week.
March 7, 2026
Last Week on Euronext: CAC 40, AEX and BEL 20 End Lower as Oil Shock Hits Europe
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Last Week on Euronext: CAC 40, AEX and BEL 20 End Lower as Oil Shock Hits Europe

Europe’s STOXX 600 dropped 5.5% for its worst week in nearly a year, with Paris and Frankfurt posting their sharpest declines since April 2025. Euronext data showed the CAC 40 closed Friday at 7,993.49, down 0.65%, while Lisbon’s PSI edged up 0.15%. Oil prices surged over 27% for the week, fuelling concerns about inflation and ECB rate policy. Banks and healthcare stocks fell, while energy and defence shares rose.
March 7, 2026
BHP Group Ltd Faces Wider China Iron Ore Curbs as Contract Standoff Deepens
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BHP Group Ltd Faces Wider China Iron Ore Curbs as Contract Standoff Deepens

China Mineral Resources Group has expanded restrictions on BHP iron ore cargoes, now including Mac fines, Newman fines, and Newman lumps, amid a contract dispute. Stocks of BHP’s Jimblebar cargoes at Chinese ports hit a record 9.8 million tons by Feb. 26, up 457% since September. Canberra is monitoring the situation as iron ore is Australia’s top export. BHP declined to comment; CMRG did not respond.
March 6, 2026
Oil prices jump on Iran war as Hormuz logjam lifts Brent above $84, WTI near $79
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Oil prices jump on Iran war as Hormuz logjam lifts Brent above $84, WTI near $79

Oil prices surged over 3% Thursday as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran halted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for a fifth day, stranding about 200 tankers and cutting Iraq’s output by 1.5 million barrels per day. Brent rose to $84.32 a barrel, WTI to $79.06. Qatar declared force majeure on LNG exports. Goldman Sachs raised its Brent forecast by $10, warning a price spike could slow global growth.
March 5, 2026
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