While global shares rose modestly, oil prices dipped as the Brent crude benchmark was down 2.2 percent at $102.22 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was also off 2.2 percent at $90.32 a barrel. The equities push was "really related to oil prices going down and that anticipated end of the hostilities, or at least a settling down of hostilities." "The head of the International Energy Agency has warned that the world is facing an energy crisis more severe than the oil shocks of the 1970s," said John Denton. Offering respite to some countries, Tehran announced it would let oil vessels from "non-hostile" nations pass through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, said he was "ready to move forward" with an additional release of oil reserves "if and when necessary."

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha March 26, 2026 10:59 UTC