{"id":243903,"date":"2026-01-14T09:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T09:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/243903\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T09:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T09:16:09","slug":"worries-over-iran-and-fed-independence-weigh-on-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/243903\/","title":{"rendered":"Worries over Iran and Fed independence weigh on markets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. President Donald Trump visits a Ford production center in Dearborn, Michigan, U.S., January 13, 2026. <\/p>\n<p>Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters<\/p>\n<p>U.S. President Donald Trump said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/115888317758045915\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Truth Social post on Tuesday<\/a> that he had &#8220;cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials,&#8221; and reiterated his support for protestors fueling one of the largest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/01\/13\/iran-protests-inflation-trump-germany-merz.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">anti-government demonstrations in<\/a> the Middle Eastern country.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&#8217;s move suggests that diplomatic methods aimed at compelling Tehran to cease its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/01\/11\/iran-vows-to-strike-back-if-us-attacks.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">violent crackdown on protestors<\/a> might be off the table for now.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/@CL.1\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WTI crude<\/a> and global benchmark <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/@LCO.1\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brent<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/01\/13\/oil-prices-today-trump-iran-protests.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saw prices jump more than 2.5%<\/a> during U.S. trading hours as Washington&#8217;s involvement in Iran \u2014 a major oil producer which has influence over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/01\/12\/strait-of-hormuz-back-in-focus-amid-possible-us-intervention-in-iran.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Strait of Hormuz<\/a> \u2014 could destabilize the oil market.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in the energy sector, British oil giant BP warned on Wednesday it&#8217;s expecting to take impairment charges of $4 billion to $5 billion in the fourth quarter related to its gas and low carbon energy units.<\/p>\n<p>Over in U.S. markets, stocks dipped Tuesday even though the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/01\/13\/cpi-inflation-report-december-2026.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">core consumer price index for December<\/a> came in cooler than expected. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve seen this movie before \u2014 inflation isn&#8217;t reheating, but it remains above target,&#8221; wrote Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/MS\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Morgan Stanley<\/a> Wealth Management. <\/p>\n<p>Trump&#8217;s continued attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which include &#8220;jerk&#8221; and &#8220;bad Fed person,&#8221; among other epithets, are likely to have stoked investor worries as well. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Anything that chips away at [central bank independence] is probably not a great idea, and in my view, it will have the reverse consequences,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/quotes\/JPM\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">JPMorgan Chase<\/a> CEO Jamie Dimon said on a call with media Tuesday. &#8220;It will raise inflation expectations and probably increase rates over time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CNBC&#8217;s Michael Considine contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"headline0\"\/>What you need to know today<a id=\"headline1\"\/>And finally&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/01\/14\/cnbcs-uk-exchange-newsletter-the-battle-for-britains-investment-trusts.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The battle for Britain\u2019s investment trusts<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the world of U.K. quoted companies, investment trusts are frequently disparaged as a sleepy backwater, a dull corner of the market offering little excitement.<\/p>\n<p>But there is no debate at\u00a0present;\u00a0the sector\u00a0is currently very newsy because of one individual, the U.S. activist investor Boaz Weinstein, founder and chief investment officer of the hedge fund Saba Capital. He unveiled\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/11\/20\/saba-capitals-weinstein-says-storm-brewing-in-uk-investment-trusts.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">two new positions in U.K. trusts<\/a>\u00a0at the Sohn investment conference in London last November and, just before Christmas, launched a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/12\/18\/ewit-urges-shareholders-to-reject-boaz-weinsteins-board-shake-up-plan.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">fresh assault on EWIT<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ian King<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"U.S. President Donald Trump visits a Ford production center in Dearborn, Michigan, U.S., January 13, 2026. 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