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Soaring fuel prices from the Iran war are forcing oil traders into longer, stranger journeys, sending cargoes on routes that would normally make little sense.

Stocks are rushing higher worldwide, and oil prices are easing April 1 as hopes build that the war with Iran could end soon.

The ISM gauge of prices paid for manufacturing inputs climbed another 7.8 points to 78.3, remaining at the highest since mid-2022.

Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in February. There is a concern that Americans squeezed by years of elevated inflation will cut spending further.

Financial markets muddled through the first two months of the year. Then came the war in Iran.

With crude oil surpassing $100 a barrel, stopgap measures are helping, but they're not adding up to enough oil to replace what's stranded, experts say.

Oil declined March 31 after Iran and the U.S. signaled openness toward a resolution in the conflict that’s upended global energy shipments.

President Donald Trump on March 31 called on other nations to wrest control of the Strait of Hormuz as Iran maintained missile fire across the Persian Gulf.

Aluminum registered its best month in nearly two years as the war in Iran disrupted supplies and damaged local production facilities, tightening the global market.

The last time U.S. drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.