Data & financial journalist covering global economics and policy
Oil and gas might not be the only commodities vulnerable to the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Fertilizers are at particular risk, as their supplies get choked at the strait, a critical shipping corridor for a third of the world’s fertilizer shipments.
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is falling sharply as vessels avoid the Gulf following U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran, pushing oil prices to a 19-month high on fears of supply disruptions.
Oil prices surged after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran raised fears of Strait of Hormuz disruption, a chokepoint that carries about 20% of global crude supply.
In 2025, the U.S. economy didn’t simply cool or rebound but changed in ways that were visible in the data itself.
A shutdown distorted inflation, tariffs reset global trade, U.S. debt buyers quietly swapped places, and food prices surged. I pick five charts that captured how policy and politics reshaped the American economy in 2025.