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The Economist
March 17th 2026
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Patrick Lane
Senior digital editor
The Middle East has come to play a central role in global aviation. War in the Gulf may change all that. The region’s own carriers are obviously worst affected, but other airlines are rerouting flights and facing higher fuel bills. For some, however, the conflict presents a
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chance to win back business
lost to Gulf rivals.
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War may bring lasting change to the airline business
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Western carriers will relish the chance to win some of their customers back
→
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China is wrestling with a novel phenomenon: inherited wealth
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Even as the economy slows and opportunity narrows, a lucky few receive big windfalls
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The Iran war is roiling commodities far beyond oil
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Shortages of fuels and chemicals threaten industries from farming to pharmaceuticals
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Are there enough missile interceptors? As the conflict in the Middle East drags on, it is becoming a question of who runs out first: Iran of ballistic missiles, or its adversaries of interceptors.
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Shortages in Israel and the Gulf could determine the war’s course.
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Trouble is brewing among America’s corporate borrowers. Surging energy prices are adding to fears of a wave of defaults. And the opacity of the private-credit market has only
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heightened the anxiety .
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Rapid-charging EV batteries are on the way. Rapid recharging could dispel the last remaining obstacles to widespread EV adoption. But increases in speed
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come with a cost .
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Figure of the day
5%, the proportion of the global fleet of product tankers currently stuck in the Gulf.
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I escaped from Iran. But I keep reliving the horror
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