Iran War: European Stocks Fall as Energy Costs Surge Again | The Opening Trade 3/19/2026

Stocks in Europe and Asia slumped after a fresh surge in oil and gas prices intensified concerns that the war in the Middle East will stoke inflation and hit growth. Bonds tumbled amid a second day of major central bank meetings.

The selloff comes as Brent extended gains since the start of the conflict to 48%, climbing above $114 a barrel after Israel and Iran traded strikes on energy facilities in the Middle East. European natural gas jumped as much as 35% after damage to the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant.

The Opening Trade has everything you need to know as markets open across Europe. With analysis you won’t find anywhere else, we break down the biggest stories of the day and speak to top guests who have skin in the game. Hosted by Anna Edwards, Lizzy Burden and Tom Mackenzie.

Chapters:
00:00:00 – The Opening Trade
00:03:02 – Iran War: Damage to Qatar LNG Facility
00:04:35 – Fed, BOJ Hold Rates
00:06:39 – BOJ Governor Ueda Speaks
00:10:12 – Copper Erases 2026 Gains
00:11:36 – HSBC Mulls Deep Jobs Cuts
00:12:23 – Micron Stock Falls
00:15:49 – Iran War: South Pars Gas Facility
00:26:13 – Lloyd’s of London CEO Patrick Tiernan
00:47:32 – Stocks to Watch: Energy Stocks, Chip Stocks, HSBC
01:06:38 – HSBC Said to Mull AI-Fueled Job Cuts
01:16:51 – SNB, Riksbank Hold Rates
01:25:44 – Nobel Prize Winner in Economics on Geopolitics, Europe
01:32:04 – Iran War: Kuwait Petroleum Says it Put Out Fires at Refineries
——–
More on Bloomberg Television and Markets

Like this video? Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss any videos from Bloomberg Markets & Finance: https://tinyurl.com/ysu5b8a9
Visit http://www.bloomberg.com for business news & analysis, up-to-the-minute market data, features, profiles and more.

Connect with Bloomberg Television on:
X: https://twitter.com/BloombergTV
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BloombergTelevision
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergtv/

Connect with Bloomberg Business on:
X: https://twitter.com/business
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloombergbusiness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergbusiness/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bloombergbusiness?lang=en
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/bloomberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomberg-news/

More from Bloomberg:
Bloomberg Radio: https://twitter.com/BloombergRadio

Bloomberg Surveillance: https://twitter.com/bsurveillance
Bloomberg Politics: https://twitter.com/bpolitics
Bloomberg Originals: https://twitter.com/bbgoriginals

Watch more on YouTube:
Bloomberg Technology: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergTechnology
Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/@business
Bloomberg Quicktake: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergQuicktake
Bloomberg Espanol: https://www.youtube.com/@bloomberg_espanol
Bloomberg Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergPodcasts