Emirates’ Reality Check: 5-10% Full Inbound Jets as Exodus Hits Dubai

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Emirates is running flights to Dubai that are sometimes almost empty as passengers avoid the Persian Gulf, underscoring the difficulties facing the biggest international airline in rebuilding its network during a protracted conflict.

Flights from destinations in the US and continental Europe have been most severely affected, with planes returning from Prague or Budapest only roughly 5% to 10% occupied.

At least one flight last week departed with fewer than 35 passengers on an Airbus SE jumbo A380 jet that typically seats close to 500, and several aircraft returning from New York flew with only a fifth of the tickets sold.

The documents state that half-empty cabins were used on departures from Chicago. Flights departing Dubai exhibit a very different pattern because fewer aircraft are available. After that, Emirates returns the aircraft to its hub with minimal occupancy.

Emirates said that as long as it can do so safely, it will keep restoring its network at a steady pace. In response to inquiries, an official stated that current inbound occupancy is unsurprisingly low given the circumstances. The business stated that it doesn’t comment on the occupancy of particular routes.

According to Flightradar24 data, the airline operated roughly 500 flights out of Dubai International on a typical day before the war, with roughly half of those flights being departures.

That number had dropped to 71 takeoffs by March 16. Even though there isn’t much demand for passengers, the business loads cargo onto its planes, which generates additional income and an influx of perishable goods.

Operating Boeing Co. is a priority for Emirates. 777 aircraft due to their superior cargo capacity compared to the Airbus A380. The flights are one of the few ways to import supplies because the Strait of Hormuz is practically closed. The operations of the state-owned carrier have been severely disrupted.

Rate Uncertainty Weighs on Gold Trapped Below $4,800/oz

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Gold prices increased slightly in Asian trade on Thursday but stayed well below key levels due to uncertainty over interest rates and the inflationary effects of the U.S.

The producer inflation data and the Federal Reserve’s prediction of higher US inflation put pressure on gold prices, pushing them well below the desired $5,000 per ounce level and to a low of more than a month. Gold futures fell 1.3 percent to $4.8K/oz.

Gold broke below a $5,000–$5,200/oz trading range that had been in place for almost a month after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, indicating uncertainty about the inflationary impact of the Iran war.

Stronger-than-expected producer price index inflation data for February preceded the Fed’s decision. The Fed’s remarks and the PPI report increased market speculation that the central bank would not have any room to lower interest rates in the near future.

The yellow metal has had difficulty since the start of the Iran war. This week, gold underperformed while oil prices kept rising due to the lack of signs of a de-escalation in the US-Israel war on Iran.

Iran retaliated bitterly after Israel attacked the South Pars gas field, the largest gas field in the world, on Wednesday, seemingly starting a new phase of the conflict. Tehran continued to attack targets in Israel and launched attacks on several significant energy facilities throughout the Middle East.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused global oil and gas prices to soar, while military and shipping disruptions caused energy production throughout the Middle East to slow down.

Citi Warns: Brent Could Spike to $110–$120 per Barrel in Near Term

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Citi said in a note on Wednesday that it anticipates a sharp increase in oil prices as conflict-related supply disruptions worsen.

Analysts predict that Brent will reach between $110 and $120 per barrel in the coming days. The bank’s head of global commodities, Maximilian Layton, wrote in a note that the bank’s updated base case, which has a 50% probability, is predicated on 4–6 weeks of disrupted flows, or up to 11–16 million barrels per day.

According to Citi, “Brent prices will rally as the conflict continues over the coming days, to $110-120/bbl,” meaning the market will continue to rise until a political or strategic intervention is necessary.

“That might be the ‘price or market event which drives the U.S to cease its military operation, the point at which inventories are released more forcefully by the IEA and OECD, or the point at which international powers are prompted to ‘forcefully re-open the Strait,” Citi emphasized the risks of escalation.

Citi emphasized that there are still substantial risks of escalation. Brent could “reach $150/bbl” in its bull case, which has a 30% probability, and increase to as much as $200/bbl “all-in” if Iran attacks more extensive energy infrastructure or if the Strait of Hormuz is essentially closed through June.

According to the bank’s bear case, which has a mere 20% chance, prices will drop to $65–70 by year’s end—but only if a swift agreement between the US and Iran reopens the Strait.

Citi is “very bullish on aluminum,” citing low inventories and the possibility of Middle Eastern smelters reducing production, which could eliminate up to 6% of the world’s supply.

Tsunami Alert: BlackRock’s $14 Trillion Move Could Send XRP Surging

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

According to financial expert Levi Rietveld, the global movement toward asset tokenization could have a big effect on the cryptocurrency industry, especially the XRP ecosystem

Rietveld contended that a surge of capital into blockchain networks might result from BlackRock’s asset management approach. Rietveld mentioned BlackRock’s size and increasing emphasis on blockchain-based financial infrastructure in the tweet, saying that the company is “getting ready to unleash an absolute tsunami on XRP.”

The company currently oversees assets worth about $14 trillion, which Rietveld highlighted as a crucial component in determining the potential scope of tokenized finance.

He explained how the company’s long-term plans to tokenize real-world assets could move trillions of dollars onto blockchain networks in the years to come. Rietveld referenced Larry Fink’s remarks on the future of asset tokenization in the video.

Fink has frequently talked about putting conventional financial assets on blockchain infrastructure, according to Rietveld. He hasn’t, however, given a specific timeframe for when this change will take place.

Rietveld cited Fink’s 2025 statement that the industry was beginning to tokenize assets across several significant categories.

These consist of bonds, stocks, and real estate. Fink described this shift as a major structural change in global finance that could allow trillions of dollars’ worth of conventional assets to switch to blockchain-based systems, according to Rietveld.

According to Rietveld, this trend indicates that the financial industry is actively getting ready for a time when tokenized assets will be crucial to international markets.

Emirates’ Half-Empty Reality: Inbound Jets Sparse as Locals Depart Dubai

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Flights from destinations in the US and continental Europe have been most severely affected, with planes returning from Prague or Budapest only roughly 5% to 10% occupied.

The documents state that half-empty cabins were used on departures from Chicago. Flights departing Dubai exhibit a very different pattern because there are fewer aircraft available. After that, Emirates returns the aircraft to its hub with minimal occupancy.

According to Flightradar24 data, the airline operated roughly 500 flights out of Dubai International on a typical day before the war, with roughly half of those flights being departures.

Soy Futures Drop Sharply as Trump Floats Postponing Xi Meeting; Oil Prices Weaken

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

US soy futures fell following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would delay his trip to China for trade negotiations. Trump announced that his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping would now take place in “about five or six weeks,” instead of the end of March as originally scheduled.

Trump had previously indicated that he was considering delaying the trip because of the conflict with Iran. Any new trade agreement between Trump and Xi is anticipated to include new purchases of US soybeans, so the decision to postpone negotiations is viewed negatively for the major oilseed. Concurrently, soy oil contracts were negatively affected by declining crude prices, which reduced demand for the feedstock used in biofuel production.

Soy oil saw a decline of up to 1.7 percent, while leading soybean contracts saw a decline of up to 0.6 percent.

The announcement earlier in the day of a “celebration of agriculture” at the White House on March 27, which raised hopes of more clarity on US biofuels blending policy, would have prevented the decline, according to Joe Davis, director of brokerage Futures International.

He did, however, note that additional Beijing’s confirmation of the meeting will “probably be needed to meaningfully rekindle a broader ‘risk-on’ tone across the row-crop markets.”

Samsung Axes $2,899 TriFold Phone After Three-Month Run

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Samsung is reducing sales of its Galaxy Z TriFold smartphone after about three months on the market, indicating that the $2,899 device was never meant to be a mainstay of the company’s mobile lineup but rather a technological showcase.

The Korean company will start by stopping sales in its home market before it ends operations in the US after clearing out any remaining inventory.

This month, Samsung’s website ceased hinting at upcoming restocks of the cutting-edge foldable, which has two hinges and unfolds into a large 10-inch tablet. This move was expected. The TriFold is now marked as “sold out

According to reports on Reddit and social media, buyers have recently been able to locate stocks at Samsung Experience Stores in Queens, New York, and Frisco, Texas, suggesting that at least some units are still available. As a demonstration of its engineering prowess, Samsung unveiled the gadget towards the end of last year. However, the device’s price quickly made it a specialized purchase for the wealthiest early adopters. Its debut in South Korea was for 3.59 million won on December 12. Although the device has its share of drawbacks, Samsung has emphasized the multitasking potential of the large screen.

The TriFold could only be bought straight from Samsung. Another indication of the TriFold’s brief existence is the fact that mobile carriers and retailers never made it available to customers. Won-Joon Choi, chief operating officer of Samsung’s Mobile Experience Business, stated in an interview last month that the company had not made a decision on the TriFold.

BlackRock’s $14 Trillion Tokenization Tsunami Is About to Boost XRP

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

According to financial expert Levi Rietveld, the global movement toward asset tokenization could have a big effect on the cryptocurrency industry, especially the XRP ecosystem

The company currently oversees assets worth about $14 trillion, which Rietveld highlighted as a crucial component in determining the potential scope of tokenized finance.

Rietveld cited Fink’s 2025 statement that the industry was beginning to tokenize assets across several significant categories.

According to Rietveld, this trend indicates that the financial industry is actively getting ready for a time when tokenized assets will be crucial to international markets.

Brent Tops $105 as Iran Targets UAE Gas Field, Threatens Broader Retaliation

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Oil prices increased as Iran increased its attacks on the Persian Gulf’s energy infrastructure. Brent moved closer to $105 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was at about $98 after falling 2.8 percent on Monday.

Iranian drones and missiles targeted an Iraqi oil field and a major Emirati port, and operations at the Shah field in the United Arab Emirates were halted.

The strikes have further damaged the prospects for the world’s energy supplies as the conflict moves into its third week.

Customers, particularly in Asia, are beginning to feel the effects of the near-total shutdown of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices dropped for the first time in four sessions on Monday as the US got ready to release the first tranche of emergency crude reserves.

Oil prices have increased by more than 40% since the war began. According to Rebecca Babin, a senior energy trader at CIBC, “there is a push and a pull constantly dragging the market higher and lower each day, based on the sheer amount of headlines.”

US President Donald Trump threatened to extend strikes on Kharg Island to target oil infrastructure after last weekend sparing energy assets on the major Iranian export hub.

Additionally, he claimed that Washington is “hammering” Tehran’s ability to endanger commercial shipping via the Strait of Hormuz and reaffirmed his calls for assistance from other countries to ensure passage.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Washington is permitting Iran to keep using the waterway to ship crude. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates both further decreased their oil production in the Middle East. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are competing to increase exports by using alternate routes that avoid Hormuz.

According to JPMorgan Chase and Co., transit through the strait is expected to become “increasingly conditional,” with Iran allowing passage for certain vessels based on their political affiliation. Natasha Kaneva and other analysts stated in a note.

Bitcoin Hits 6-Week High Over $74K on Heavy Short Coverings

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

A wave of short liquidations helped propel Bitcoin above $74,000 on Monday, its highest level in roughly six weeks, despite investors’ continued caution over the escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The cryptocurrency last traded 3.4 percent higher at $73.4k after reaching as high as $74.4K earlier in the session.

Bitcoin surged 6% despite a decline in global stock markets as worries about inflation were heightened by rising oil prices.

Cryptocurrency markets saw widespread gains as traders rushed to cover their positions after placing bets on further declines. There were approximately $344 million worth of cryptocurrency liquidations over the previous day, with short liquidations making up about 83% of the total.

Leveraged traders are compelled to liquidate their positions when prices move against them, which frequently intensifies market movements. As the Middle East conflict entered its third week, market sentiment remained cautious despite the rebound, raising concerns about the world’s energy supply.

President Donald Trump has urged allies to assist him in securing the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for international oil shipments.

According to media reports, drone attacks in Gulf states persisted on Monday despite US authorities’ repeated assertions that Iran’s military capabilities had been destroyed. Concerns about supply disruptions near the vital Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for international crude exports, also kept oil prices above $100 per barrel. In Asian trading on Monday, US stock futures slightly increased as investors anticipated the U.S.

It is generally anticipated that decision-makers will assess inflation risks and maintain current interest rates at the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting later this week. Despite short-term price gains, analysts warned that macroeconomic risks and geopolitical unpredictability could keep cryptocurrency markets volatile in the near future.