CNBC canvassed more than 30 central bankers, policymakers, and politicians to map the principal risks emerging from the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, with stagflation and energy security ranking as the dominant concerns. The breadth of respondents signals that official anxiety is widespread and cross-jurisdictional, not confined to directly exposed economies. Stagflation, the combination of slowing growth and persistent inflation, topped the list, a framing that carries direct weight for rate-setting bodies already navigating post-pandemic monetary normalization. Energy security featured prominently alongside it, reflecting the conflict's proximity to critical Gulf shipping corridors and oil supply infrastructure. The pairing of these two risks is analytically significant: an energy supply shock would simultaneously suppress growth and lift consumer prices, compressing central banks' room to respond with conventional easing. Policymakers and markets will be watching oil price trajectories, shipping disruption indicators, and any escalation signals that could accelerate the stagflationary feedback loop the respondents described.
Iranian armed forces attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, briefly halting traffic through the waterway. The strike threatens a fragile US-Iran arrangement and could push shipping insurance costs and oil prices higher.
The US has struck Iran, with President Trump citing an Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz as justification. The action raises immediate risks for global oil flows through one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints.
The US struck ten Iranian targets on the second consecutive day of military action, putting a fragile ceasefire under serious pressure. The escalation raises immediate risks for Gulf shipping, global oil supply, and regional stability.
Venezuela's twin earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have killed at least 164 people and injured 971, interim president Delcy Rodriguez confirmed Thursday. The quakes are the country's strongest since 1900, collapsing buildings across Caracas and prompting a state of emergency, with the death toll expected to rise as
