Farmers across the Midwest are entering planting season under mounting financial pressure, as the Iran conflict drives up diesel and fertilizer prices — deepening an agricultural downturn that some say is the worst since the crisis of the 1980s.
Why it matters: Rising fuel and fertilizer costs threaten to push more family farms out of business, drive up food prices and further strain rural economies already battered by trade disruptions, inflation and extreme weather.
Motor oil could become the next supply-chain headache as major companies warn that Middle East turmoil is squeezing key ingredients used in synthetic lubricants.
Why it matters: Drivers, repair shops and auto suppliers could soon see higher prices, reduced selection and temporary out-of-stocks for some synthetic motor oils.
Kimmeridge, an energy-focused private equity firm, on Friday announced that its Caturus unit will proceed with construction of its Commonwealth LNG project in Louisiana.
Why it matters: While Commonwealth has been planned for years, the go-ahead arrives as the Iran war is putting fresh focus on gas from outside the Middle East.
