Squawk Box Europe Express

Israel continues to increase air strike on Iran overnight. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the country’s uranium enrichment capabilities have been destroyed but signals the possibility of a ground invasion. Central banks across Europe defer any possibility of rate cuts with the ECB and BoE warning that the Middle East conflict has blurred the inflation outlook and will push up energy prices. European Council leaders plead for warring parties in the Gulf to cease attacks on key energy facilities as Hungary vetoes a €90bn loan to Ukraine over halted oil shipments.
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Iran strikes Qatar’s main LNG facility – one of the world’s biggest – following an Israeli attack on the giant South Pars gas field. President Trump has warned of stern intervention should retaliatory strikes continue. Equities in Europe are back in the red following a two-day winning streak. The Federal Reserve holds rates steady and signalling a single cut to come this year. Chairman Jerome Powell says it is too early to tell what impact the war in Iran could have on inflation.
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We hear exclusively from French finance minister Roland Lescure who says his country would be willing to aid the U.S. in securing the Strait of Hormuz but would require the conflict to de-escalate first. UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has warned the nation faces the possibility of higher inflation and borrowing costs due to the Iran war but tells CNBC it is on a far stronger footing today to absorb the shocks due to her fiscal reforms. Tehran fires a barrage of missile attacks at Tel Aviv following the killing of Iran’s senior-most security chief Ali Larijani. In the U.S., top counter-terrorism director Joe Kent resigns over the decision to go to war.
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President Trump looks to postpone his China trip, saying his focus remains on the conflict in the Middle East. The U.S. leader also hits out at European allies after several reject his demand to help escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. And in markets, futures point to a day in the red on Wall Street, with Trump again calling on the Fed to cut rates ahead of its meeting starting today, after the Reserve Bank of Australia fires the starting gun on a week of central bank action by tightening policy.
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President Trump calls on allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz with exports through the vital oil chokepoint remaining effectively halted, while European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas criticizes the U.S. government’s decision to lift some energy sanctions on Russia. Oil prices tick higher as the disruption continues, with traders looking to navigate price volatility. Investors look ahead to a massive week of central bank action, as lenders across the globe grapple with fallout from the conflict in the Middle East. Unicredit launches a bid to raise its stake in Commerzbank above the 30% level but says it doesn’t want to take control of the German lender.
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