Brent crude rises to $114.72 a barrel after Tehran threatens retaliatory attacks on Gulf oil and tech facilities

• Business live – latest updates

Oil has hit its highest level in more than five months as fears of fresh escalation in the Middle East conflict grip the energy markets.

Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, rose by 1% on Friday morning to $114.72 a barrel – its highest level since May.

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© Photograph: Amr Alfiky/Reuters

© Photograph: Amr Alfiky/Reuters

© Photograph: Amr Alfiky/Reuters

Canadian mining investors see growth potential in Argentina's mining sector, with a delegation set to visit Mendoza next week to explore possible projects.

A prata atingiu durante a sessão de quinta-feira 22 de outubro um mínimo de novembro de 2025, quando negociou nos 54,17 dólares, tendo por base os dados do Investing. Atualmente o metal desvaloriza mais de 24% desde o início do ano e desceu mais de 15% no último mês.

O mínimo da prata veio também acompanhado de um mínimo de três meses do ouro quando o metal negociou perto dos quatro mil dólares por onça durante a sessão de 22 de outubro.

“Os preços do ouro não beneficiaram da queda acentuada das ações [na quinta-feira 22 de outubro] e da redução significativa dos rendimentos dos títulos do Tesouro dos Estados Unidos (EUA), com o rendimento do título a 10 anos a cair abaixo dos 5%”, referiram os analistas da ING, numa nota transcrita pelo Investing. “O mercado do ouro parece mais focado nos preços mais elevados do petróleo e no que isso pode significar para a inflação — e, em última análise, para a política dos bancos centrais”, acrescentaram.

O ouro atingiu um mínimo de três meses durante a sessão de quinta-feira 22 de outubro quando negociava nos 4.013 dólares por onça. O metal já caiu mais de 7% desde o início do ano e no último mês desceu mais de 6%.

“Os preços do ouro não beneficiaram da queda acentuada das ações [na quinta-feira 22 de outubro] e da redução significativa dos rendimentos dos títulos do Tesouro dos Estados Unidos (EUA), com o rendimento do título a 10 anos a cair abaixo dos 5%”, referiram os analistas da ING, numa nota transcrita pelo Investing. “O mercado do ouro parece mais focado nos preços mais elevados do petróleo e no que isso pode significar para a inflação — e, em última análise, para a política dos bancos centrais”, acrescentaram.

Na sessão de quinta-feira 22 de outubro vários índices bolsistas fecharam o dia com quedas. No caso dos índices norte-americanos o Nasdaq desvalorizou mais de 2,5% enquanto que o S&P 500 caiu 1,21%. O Dow Jones fechou no verde com um avanço de 0,02%. Nas bolsas europeias o índice português (PSI) desceu 1,46%. Destaca-se ainda a queda de 1,07% do DAX (Alemanha), da quebra de 2,54% do FTSE MIB (Itália), da quebra de 2,12% do IBEX 35 (Espanha), e a descida de 1,39% do CAC 40 (França).

Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto has announced a $1.9 billion investment in a bauxite project in the state of Queensland. The company is presenting the move as part of an effort to meet demand across the global aluminium supply chain.

Iran’s IRGC says it hit four vessels in the northern Gulf and three more struck mines near the strait of Hormuz

• Shipping workers: how is the Middle East conflict affecting you?

Oil prices jumped to a five-month high on Thursday after ​attacks in Saudi Arabia and hits to tankers in the strait of Hormuz threatened further disruptions to the world’s crude supply.

Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose by 3% to hit $112 a barrel for first time since 18 May.

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© Photograph: Reuters

© Photograph: Reuters

© Photograph: Reuters

Saudi Arabia's energy ministry says two people were killed and two others wounded in an attack on the Shaybah oil field in the kingdom's Eastern Province. TRT Haber reports that the strike comes amid a broader rise in attacks on Saudi Arabia. The field is one of the kingdom's largest oil-producing sites.

Satellites detected 9,045 fire hotspots in the Brazilian Amazon during the first half of October, a 62% jump from a year earlier, as a drought worsened by El Niño fuels blazes even as annual deforestation fell to its lowest level since 1988.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said naval mines prevented three tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The announcement pushed oil prices higher amid escalating regional tension.

President Javier Milei said at the opening of the Argentina Oil & Gas Expo that the country's oil production is nearing one million barrels a day. He also defended the incentive regime drawing foreign investors to the sector.

Decision was widely expected after lobbying by Shell but will dismay environmental campaigners

• What does the UK’s approval of the Jackdaw gasfield mean?

• UK politics live – latest updates

• Business live – latest updates

The UK government has approved the controversial Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea, a widely expected move that will nonetheless dismay environmental campaigners and a number of Labour MPs.

While Labour’s 2024 election manifesto committed to a ban on new drilling licences in the North Sea, the companies behind Jackdaw and the Rosebank oilfield project, which is being decided on separately, have sought environmental approval for existing licences.

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© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

An Australian mining company is pursuing a fresh approach to gold exploration in New Zealand's Golden Bay after its earlier bid on conservation land was turned down.

Dry spring weather across New Zealand's dairy regions has pushed wholesale milk prices higher, widening the gap between powder and fat products.

Oil companies are weighing how to spend windfall profits after the Strait of Hormuz disruption pushed energy prices to multi-year highs. Trading desks have profited from the volatility stemming from the Iran war, adding pressure on producers to decide between investment, dividends and buybacks.

The growing global use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is pushing consumers toward more nutrition-conscious choices, creating new export opportunities for New Zealand's premium food producers.

Argentina posted another trade surplus after exports reached $77 billion between January and September 2026, with agricultural products, minerals, gas and oil making up 73% of total sales abroad.

New Zealand's free trade agreement with India has officially taken effect, Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay said. The deal makes 57 percent of New Zealand's exports to India tariff-free, including sheep meat, wool, coal and forestry products.

Oyster growers along South Australia's coast report recovery from last year's harmful algal bloom, though the pace varies widely between regions. Farmers describe reduced stock levels and a rise in barnacle growth as lingering challenges heading into the busy summer season.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to meet the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries under the C5+1 format. Trade, investment, critical minerals and security are expected to top the agenda, with more than 200 American business executives accompanying the visit. The trip underscores Washington's push for closer economic and strategic ties with the region.

Brent crude held near $109 a barrel after Ukraine's drone strikes set fire to an oil terminal and depot in St. Petersburg, Russia. A separate rise in tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz added to global supply concerns.