French and Benelux stocks: Factors to watch
Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets or stocks in France and Benelux. The French electric utility company,?EDF, has set up an advisory board to help finance global nuclear projects. This was announced on Tuesday at the World Nuclear Energy Summit 2026 in Paris. Garuda Technologies, a subsidiary of the European planemaker Airbus Helicopters, has won a contract to supply up to 18 Flexrotor Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS). French train manufacturer announced on Tuesday that it will provide 36 additional trains to Comboios De Portugal under a 1.03 billion euros ($1.20 billion), and create a manufacturing facility for close to 300 jobs in Portugal.
Japan's weakness on energy is brought to the forefront as Middle East crisis worsens, says REI chair
The chair of the Renewable Energy Institute stated that Japan must do more to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels after the Middle East conflict escalated and halted the tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. This highlighted Japan's vulnerability to?geopolitical risk. Japan imports 95% of its crude oils and 11% of liquefied gas through the Strait. About 70% of the latter and 6% of the former are shipped via the Strait. The closure of the channel has caused sharp increases in fuel prices. This is particularly hard on energy-importing countries like Japan.
The rate signal is muddied by the surge in India swap rates amid global turmoil
The surge in Indian overnight index swap (OIS), which is normally a key indicator of policy rate expectations, overstates the impact that 'the Iran War and higher oil costs will have on domestic monetary policies. India's OIS rates for one-year and two-year periods have risen by more than 45 basis point each since the outbreak of the?Israeli U.S. war with Iran on February 28. The benchmark 10-year bond yield, however, has only risen by 11 basis points up until Monday before reducing some of the rise. Swap rates currently reflect two rate increases by Reserve Bank of India in the next 12 months.
Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Auction yields Far Fewer Bids Than First Trump Sale
According to a document posted on the government's website, the second auction of oil and natural gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico by the Trump administration in three months drew far less interest from the industry than the one held in December. Oil prices are at four-year highs due to the U.S.'s war against Iran, which has disrupted crude oil flows around the world. According to the document of pre-sale statistics, 25 of the 15,000 blocks that the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management offered received bids. This 'compares to 181 blocks which received bids in BOEM’s last Gulf Sale, the first one held in this region since 2023. Ten companies have submitted 38 bids.
Patterson-UTI, an oilfield services firm, says that higher oil prices won't spur more US production.
Andy Hendricks, CEO at?oilfield service company 'Patterson-UTI', stated on Tuesday that a surge in energy costs caused by the war between the United States and Israel with Iran would not lead to an increase in U.S. production of oil without the necessary market predictability. Since the end of Feburary, oil prices have been fluctuating wildly after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz - a major trade route - forcing major Middle East producers to reduce production. U.S. Crude Futures reached $119 per barrel at the beginning of this week. This is the highest price since August 2022. During Monday's trading, they moved in a range between $35.80 and $39.
LNG Canada increases production as Iran's war threatens global supplies
LSEG data shows that LNG Canada, a Shell venture, has increased production and exports to Asia in the past month. This is because 'the iran war' threatens Asian gas supplies, which are especially vulnerable to global disruptions. Data shows that the LNG project in Kitimat (British Columbia), which started operations in June of 2025, exported five cargoes during the first eleven days of March. This is already more than half the volume in February. The sixth shipment will depart on Tuesday. Two cargoes were sent to Japan, two to South Korea, and one to Philippines.
EIA: US power consumption will surpass previous records in 2026 and '27, as AI usage surges.
?U.S. The Energy Information Administration (EIA), in its Tuesday Short-Term Energy Outlook, said that power consumption will continue to rise in 2026-2027. The EIA projects that the power demand in 2025 will reach a record of 4,195 billion kilowatt hours (kWh), followed by 4,260 billion in 2026, and 4,388 billion in 2027. The demand for electricity is increasing as more homes and businesses are using less fossil fuels to heat and transport their vehicles and use less data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. According to the EIA, power sales for residential customers will reach 1,535 billion kWh in 2026.
LNG Canada increases production as Iran's war threatens global supplies
LNG Canada, a Shell venture, increased production?and exported to Asia in this month. LSEG data shows that the Iran 'war' threatens Asian natural gas supply, which is particularly vulnerable to disruptions on a global scale. Data shows that the LNG project at Kitimat in British Columbia exported five cargoes during the first eleven days of March. This is already more than half the volume it had in February. A sixth shipment will depart on Tuesday. Two cargoes were sent to Japan, while two others went to South Korea and one to Philippines. According to LSEG data, the plant appears to be close to operating at its full capacity of 14.?million metric tonnes per year.
EIA: US natgas production to reach record highs in 2026 while demand declines
The U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its short-term energy outlook on Tuesday that U.S. gas production will reach a record high in 2026 while demand will decrease. EIA predicted dry gas production would rise from a new record of 107.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd), in 2025, to 109.5 bcfd by 2026 and then 112.3 bcfd by?2027. The agency also predicted that domestic gas consumption would fall from 91.9 bcfd - a record - in 2025, to 91.4bcfd by 2026 before rising to 92.1bcfd by 2027. The EIA forecasts of February were 110.0 bcfd in production and 91.6 bcfd in demand. The agency predicted that the average U.S.
Iran War causes major disruptions in oil and gas
U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, and the attacks of Iran on Gulf neighbours has caused oil and natural gas production to stop in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil artery. It handles 20 percent of the global oil and LNG supplies. Saudi Aramco, world's largest oil exporter, warned on Tuesday of "catastrophic" consequences for the global oil market if the Strait does not open. Saudi Arabia's oil production has been cut only slightly, to 9.8 million bpd so far from its OPEC quota at 10.1 million bpd according to Energy Aspects.
Hungary Central Bank to use reserves to fund energy imports
In a Tuesday statement, the central bank of Hungary said it would?provide foreign exchange liquidity from its reserves in excess of 60 billion euros to cover increased foreign currency imports. Central Europe's import-dependent financial markets were shaken by the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. This increased energy prices and impacted regional currencies and bonds, before Tuesday's rally in hopes of deescalation. Hungary continues to get 75% of its natural gas from Russia and almost all of its oil requirements. The currency and bond markets…
S&P: Central Europe is more resilient to supply shocks in the face of Iran war
S&P Global reported?on Tuesday that Central and Eastern Europe is more resilient to energy?shocks as a result of efforts to diversify the sources of energy since Russia's invasion in?Ukraine 2022. This provides buffers against economic impacts of the war in the Middle East. S&P Global said?on Tuesday that the region's import-dependent financial markets have been shaken by U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. This has driven up energy prices, central European currency, and bond yields, before Tuesday's relief rallies on hope of de-escalation. "Central and Eastern Europe was hit hard by the beginning of the Ukraine war…
Qatar is looking to strengthen its security partnership with the US following Iran's attacks
Qatar wants to strengthen its defense partnership with the United States after Iranian air strikes on Qatari territory, said the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. Qatar also sees the current deal as a deterrent. Iran launched drone and missile attacks on its oil producing Gulf neighbours following U.S./Israeli strikes which killed the top leaders of Iran. The conflict disrupted oil production in the region, sending oil prices soaring. Qatar is home to 'the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. Al Udeid Air Base. 'This base was attacked by Iran on the day of the outbreak of the war.
G7 and EU discuss energy prices and strategic reserves
Officials said that the G7 energy minsters will discuss the soaring prices of energy due to the war in Iran during a Tuesday call. A group of European Union Leaders will also do the same later in the day. On Monday, oil?prices soared to $119 per barrel, their?highest level in nearly four years. This was due to fears that Gulf production would be cut and tanker exports disrupted. The European Union is worried about a possible repeat of the energy crises they experienced in 2022. Prices soared to records and forced some industries to shut down after Russia invaded Ukraine. Before the Iran crisis, European prices for energy were higher than in the U.S. or China.
India's small-scale steelmakers are facing production cuts due to LNG shortages caused by the Iran war
Industry officials say that a number of small 'Indian steel' producers have warned of production cuts due to the Middle East conflict, which is disrupting gas supplies for the world’s second largest producer of the alloy behind China. Triveni Iron and Steel Industries, based in Gujarat, is the largest gas-consuming area of the country, and relies heavily on Middle East gas for a large portion of its supply. Gujarat is dependent on LNG imports for several small steel mills. Last week, most gas producers including Gujarat Gas declared force majore to limit?gas supply to industries. Anshum Goyal is the managing director and promoter of Friends Steel Group, Gujarat.
G7 and EU will hold a call on the soaring prices of energy
Officials have confirmed that the G7 energy ministers are scheduled to discuss the rising energy prices due to the war with Iran on a phone call Tuesday. A group of leaders from the European Union will do the same later in the day. Fears of Gulf production cuts and disruptions to tanker traffic pushed oil prices up to their highest level since mid-2022. The G7 Finance Ministers stated on Monday that they are prepared to take "necessary steps" to combat the price surge, but did not commit to a coordinated release of emergency reserves. Before the Iran crisis, European energy costs were typically higher than those in America. China.
Sources say that Bangladesh has secured diesel supplies amid major disruptions in energy supply
After the U.S. - Israel war 'on 'Iran, which disrupted shipments to garments and other industries, Bangladesh began receiving diesel from suppliers such as?China, India, officials said. The country has enough fuel for about a?month worth of demand. As the Middle East oil trade is severely disrupted by the war against Iran, South Asia, a nation of approximately 175 million people that relies heavily on imported energy, has implemented fuel rationing, restricted diesel sales, and closed its universities. Bangladesh, which is the second largest clothing exporter in the world after China…
EUROPE GAS - European prices fall in line with crude oil as Middle East hopes for de-escalation are raised
Dutch and British wholesale gasoline prices fell from their 3-year highs in the morning of?Tuesday, mirroring oil market movements after?U.S. Donald Trump claimed that the Middle East conflict would end "soon". Data from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), showed that the benchmark Dutch front-month contract at the TTF hub had fallen by?7.98 euros to 48.47 euros per megawatt hour(MWh) as of 0852 GMT. The intraday peak was 69.50 euro/MWh, which is the highest since January 2023. The British contract was lower by 19.90 pence, at 123.63 cents per therm.
Repsol, a Spanish oil company, increases payouts and targets for oil production but reduces investment
Spanish?energy group Repsol announced on Tuesday that it would give its shareholders between 30 and 40 percent of the cash flow generated by its operations until 2028 through dividends and share buybacks. It also pledged to increase oil production while reducing investments. This move is in line with recent strategic plans of the company, which placed a priority on shareholder returns. Repsol plans to distribute 3.6 billion euro ($4.2 billion) as cash dividends and buybacks in order to achieve its target. The dividend per share is expected to increase by?around 6 percent annually. The previous plan had a range of 25 to 35 percent.
Indian restaurants are warning of closures due to the shortage of cooking gas as a result of the Iran war
The Iran war has caused a shortage of cooking gas in India, and restaurants and hotels have warned that they may be forced to close their doors. Authorities have set up a committee to review the requests of industry. Fuel shortages are a result of the U.S. and Israel war against Iran, which has stopped ship traffic on the Gulf of Mexico and Strait of Hormuz. This has led to higher energy and transport prices, and impacted the exports and production of Gulf producers such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia. India, which is the second largest importer of LPG in the world…