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Biggest diesel shock since 2022 deals blow to U.S. farmers

While U.S. farmers brace for higher fertilizer and chemical bills tied to turmoil in the Middle East, another expense is already taking a bite out of razor-thin margins: diesel fuel.

Prices for the fuel that powers tractors, combines and grain trucks have surged as the war in Iran disrupted global oil flows, catching many producers who expected lower energy costs this year off guard. In Illinois, the top U.S. soybean-producing state, farm diesel averaged a record $5.41 a gallon at the start of May, nearly double the price a year earlier.

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Fearnleys Weekly


 

Container spot rates explode as peak season arrives early​

Container shipping spot rates are surging at a pace not seen for years as an early peak season combines with Red Sea disruptions, front-loaded cargo demand and aggressive carrier pricing power.

The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) today jumped 155 points to 2,726.48, its highest level in the last couple of years, marking the fifth consecutive week of gains.

The rally is being echoed across global benchmarks.

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The ghost of Posidonia 2008​

“Extravagant, excess, excellent.” My likely slurred alliterative answer, post quite a few Alpha beers, on being quizzed to describe this year’s Posidonia in three words for a social media video loading shortly.

Make no mistake, I loved this year’s event. However, the gnawing memories of the 2008 version, three months before the global financial crisis, kept on coming back to me.

For those that were there back then, the 2008 edition was peak Posi party time, just 90 days or so before everything crashed so dramatically. There was definitely a similar vibe this year – the scale of the celebrations almost impossible to describe for those who were not in Athens.

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Splash Wrap: The magnetism of Posidonia​

Posidonia, the world’s most famous shipping exhibition, opened its doors in Athens with record participation and a near constant on Splash headlines all week. More than 40,000 shipping professionals have attended the five-day event sponsored by Splash at the Athens Metropolitan Expo, making the 2026 edition the biggest in Posidonia’s history. AI-led products dominated the exhibition floors, while the myriad extraordinarily extravagant parties every night had more than a whiff of the 2008 version of this event.

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