Oil prices surged past $100 (£74) a barrel to hit their highest level for more than seven years after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine.
Russia is the second biggest exporter of crude oil, and is also the world’s largest natural gas exporter.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could spell trouble for the U.S. economy, fuelling higher gasoline prices and hampering the post-coronavirus recovery.
Europe gets nearly a third of its oil and around 40% of its gas from Russia, much of it flowing through pipelines across Ukrainian territory. Small wonder then that prices are shooting up.
Brent crude oil has gone above $100 a barrel, while prices for gas on wholesale markets – where domestic suppliers buy what they need – are up sharply as well.
Supplies from Russia do not appear to have been affected – yet. But the fear that they will be, and that there could be a scramble for other resources, is pushing up costs.
Stock markets across Europe are tumbling, as investors fret about the potential economic impact of high energy prices and the potential for much wider sanctions as well.
According to market watchers, higher crude oil prices are major headwinds for a couple of sectors including aviation, paint, tyres and oil marketing companies. Brent crude oil has jumped over 30 per cent to $101.40 on a year-to-date basis till February 24. The commodity was at $77.78 per barrel on December 31, 2021.
While e-commerce has fuelled demand for packaging, pandemic-related labour shortages and shipping constraints are also making it harder to make and deliver the boxes used to carry everything from food to consumer goods.
Reference:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60502451
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The global economy — already struggling with war in Ukraine and the stagflation risks it’s fanning — is bracing for greater disruption as China scrambles to contain its worst outbreak of Covid-19 since the pandemic began.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is already dealing a blow to financial markets and the worldwide economy. Global supply chains and growth had been broadly recovering from the pandemic, but now all that’s in doubt, given the stricter sanctions and other punitive measures against Russia that are in the offing.
Given the evolving on-ground situation and newer variant-led infections, the pandemic is far from over. In such a scenario, for businesses to stay relevant, we will need to be flexible and more adaptable to the changes that need to be embraced to keep core business growth drivers resilient.
As the chemical industry moves into 2022, strong demand for both commodity and specialty chemicals should keep prices robust throughout the year. The industry could face margin pressures amid raw material cost inflation, which will likely remain high through the first half of 2022.
Blackouts and power cuts in the world’s second-largest economy have drawn attention to fuel supply problems that could complicate the country’s pandemic recovery.
The Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO), an apex body of Indian export promotion organizations, has urged the government to provide freight support to all exports including pharmaceuticals till 31st March 2022, as freight rates have skyrocketed and are likely to somber by March 2022.
Science keeps winning! Scientists recently transplanted a pig’s kidney into a human being without immediate rejection by the immune system.