Good morning and welcome to Markets Desk.
Tensions in the Middle East are escalating sharply, with Gulf allies of the United States reportedly preparing for a new round of strikes on Iran. Diplomatic channels remain effectively frozen, and Tehran has threatened unrestrained retaliation, a combination that has risk assets on edge and energy markets watching every headline closely.
Shifting to the airlines, Southwest delivered a quarter that surprised to the upside despite absorbing eight hundred twenty million dollars in additional fuel costs compared to a year ago. CEO Bob Jordan credited steady consumer demand, airfares up twenty-seven percent, and newly introduced bag fees for protecting margins, a sign that pricing power in leisure travel remains remarkably durable even as input costs bite hard.
And in the nuclear energy space, Centrus spent one hundred sixteen million dollars acquiring a supplier with existing oil and gas customers, a strategic move that positions the company as a domestic anchor for nuclear fuel as U.S. restrictions on Russian uranium imports tighten. With energy security now a bipartisan priority, the deal underscores how seriously capital is flowing into the nuclear supply chain.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
