Equities rise on oil easing, with focus on Iran war and central banks Estelle.Bronkhorst Tue, 03/17/2026 - 06:00 NEW YORK - Oil prices retreated and equities rose on Monday as investors remained focused on the Strait of Hormuz, with US allies pushing back against President Donald Trump's demands to help reopen the key waterway to oil and natural gas tankers. As the US-Israel war on Iran entered its third week, Wall Street and most European stock markets climbed after Asian stocks mainly dipped. International benchmark Brent North Sea crude dropped back 2.8 percent to $100.21, while the main US contract West Texas Intermediate fell 5.3 percent to $93.50. The price falls came after a Pakistani oil tanker became the first non-Iranian tanker to transit the Strait of Hormuz with its automatic transponder system activated, according to monitor Marine Traffic. But attacks on Middle Eastern oil facilities continued, with drones hitting major oil fields in the United Arab Emirates and Iraq on Monday. The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, said member countries could unlock more oil from strategic stocks "if needed." IEA member countries already agreed last week to make their biggest-ever release of 400 million barrels. Trump
