US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited India to discuss energy security, stressing US exports to diversify India's supply and prevent geopolitical disruptions. He met PM Modi, inviting him to the White House and discussing Middle East, critical supply chains, and emerging technologies.
The EU's business investment rate dropped to 21.8% in Q4 2025, its lowest in over a decade, driven by weak demand, low profitability, and regulatory burdens, with defence spending seen as a potential catalyst for future investment.
China holds the world's largest strategic oil reserves, followed by the US and Japan, according to IEA data. Amid the US-Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, nations are managing emergency stockpiles to mitigate supply disruptions.
The Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF (BWET) has surged over 600% year-to-date as war and disruption in key maritime corridors drive shipping rates sharply higher. The $30 million ETF, launched in May 2023, tracks crude oil tanker freight rates and has gained over 1,000% in the past year. Experts say investors are rethinking where the real leverage in energy lies—shifting focus from volatile oil prices to the infrastructure that moves commodities.
Saudi Arabia remains committed to becoming a global events hub despite disruptions caused by the US-Israel war with Iran, according to Richard Attias, veteran architect of global gatherings including the World Economic Forum. Major events including the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2026, LEAP technology conference, and Automechanika Riyadh have been postponed, but Attias describes these as pragmatic business decisions rather than a structural slowdown. The Kingdom's MICE market is valued at $3.22 billion in 2025 and projected to reach $5.65 billion by 2031.
As old energy routes buckle under the pressure of war and geopolitical disruption, governments and companies are converging on the Caspian region as the corridor that could keep Eurasia's energy flowing.
