Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are keeping global markets on edge, but investors can add some stability to their portfolios by purchasing dividend-paying stocks. Choosing the right stocks can be challenging, given the vast universe of companies paying dividends. Investors can track the ratings of top Wall Street analysts, who assign ratings after thoroughly…
A general view of Navigator Terminals, an Oil storage depot along the River Thames on March 10, 2026 in London, England. Dan Kitwood | Getty Images News | Getty Images The fluctuating price of dated Brent, the global benchmark for real-world barrels of crude, has prompted energy analysts warn to that acute stress in the…
HUAIAN, CHINA – MARCH 09: Vehicles queue at a petrol station on March 9, 2026 in Huaian, Jiangsu Province of China. Zhao Qirui | Visual China Group | Getty Images China’s factory-gate prices rose for the first time in more than three years while consumer inflation moderated in March, amid a surge in oil prices…
Cargo vessel, Ali 25, in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz on March 22, 2026 in northern Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Getty Images The U.S. and Iran’s “fragile truce” has lifted hopes that a full reopening of the Hormuz Strait can end the energy supply crunch that threatens to cripple the global…
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 06: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe (L) and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (R) during a news conference in James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong | Getty Images News |…
A satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway between Iran and Oman that links the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. Gallo Images | Getty Images As the world’s oil traders parsed satellite images and official statements for clues on the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, one research firm seems to…
US President Donald Trump during a prime-time address to the nation in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Alex Brandon | Bloomberg | Getty Images Investors are caught between positioning for a swift deal that ends the war and a significant escalation that could send…
The war with Iran will remain the dominant driver of the market action in the week ahead, as investors hope for a resolution to the conflict. But it will influence the market in other ways too: On Friday, we’ll get our first look at how the war-related surge in oil prices is showing up in…
In an aerial view, Pilot Travel Center gas and diesel prices are displayed near a highway on April 02, 2026 in Lockhart, Texas. Oil Brandon Bell | Getty Images News | Getty Images Nick Friedman, co-founder of Tampa-based College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving, says his business has been facing multiple headwinds. High mortgage rates…
The stock market finally lifted higher this week, buoyed by optimism that the Iran war would end sooner rather than later. The S & P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both snapped their five-week losing streaks Thursday during the holiday-shortened trading week. The broad-market index rose 3.4% and the tech-heavy gauge advanced 4.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial…
