Another OPEC Exit? Iraq Warns It Could Abandon Oil Cartel If Quota Hike Rejected

Rubio: Diplomacy Will Be Rendered 'Impossible' If Iran Enacts Hormuz Toll System Iran has been seeking to significantly expand the area around the Strait of Hormuz over which it claims military control by this week advancing the newly-created government agency of the "Persian Gulf Strait Authority". The agency quickly published a map proclaiming "Iranian armed forces oversight" across more than 22,000 sq km (8,800 sq miles) of the Hormuz waterway. Now, all transit through the strait "requires coordination with and authorization from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority" - the new entity announced. Of...

US Senators Seek To Sanction Hungary Over Obstructing Ukraine Aid Because US Congress is perfectly functional, and all domestic issues have been resolved (one would very ironically think), the FT reports that a bipartisan pair of US senators are set to introduce legislation calling for sanctions to be imposed on senior Hungarian officials involved in obstructing aid to Ukraine. If passed, the Block Putin act would require President Trump to impose financial sanctions and visa bans on Hungarian government officials involved in the country’s purchases of Russian oil and gas, and...

US Core Manufacturing Orders Up For 3rd Straight Month In January After tumbling to end 2025, US Factory Orders were expected to rise very modestly in January and did so - up 0.1% MoM (as expected) with December's 0.7% decline revised up to a 0.4% decline... Source: Bloomberg Core Factory orders (es Transports) rose 0.4% MoM - slightly better than expected - and December's 0.4% MoM shift was revised up to a 0.6% MoM rise. This led core manufacturing orders to rise 1.39% YoY - the highest since July... Source: Bloomberg All the final...