About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of the Iran War on fuel prices, inflation, and emerging market risks.

Worldwide Markets — Episode 680 | 18 March 2026 Powered by Standard Bank, Global Markets, Retail and Shyft ⛽ Fuel Price Pain Coming Petrol 95 up ~R4.50/litre and diesel up ~R7.50/litre from the first Wednesday in April. On a 50-litre tank that's R200+ for petrol and close to R400 for diesel. Fill up before April if you can. 🛢️ Oil & The Iran War Brent holding above $100/barrel (currently ~$103.50) — briefly dipping to $99.80 on Monday before recovering. Markets are pricing in a short war. Some vessels — largely Iranian-linked ships — are still moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE and Kuwait have cut production. Strategic oil reserves are being released globally. 📉 Market Reactions Drops from the start of the war's close: China -1%, US -4%, UK -5%, Europe -6%, India -8%, Japan -9%, South Korea -12%, UAE -15%, SA -~10%. The rand at R16.72, SA 10-year bond yield has surged from below 8% to 8.9% — a massive move. 🌍 Emerging Market Risks A deep dive into countries with high USD-denominated debt and heavy oil imports. The most vulnerable: Mozambique (38% USD debt), Ghana (28%), Egypt (27%), Sri Lanka (26%), Pakistan (22%). Egypt is the only one in the MSCI EM…

People in this episode

Host: Simon Brown

Topics covered

• inflation
• oil prices
• emerging markets
• fertilizer prices
• global market reactions

Keywords

• inflation
• fuel prices
• Iran War
• emerging markets
• fertilizer
• oil prices
• USD debt

Sponsors

Standard Bank

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Petrol 95, diesel, Urea, LNG

Places: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Mozambique, Ghana, Egypt, Sri Lanka

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