Global Scans · Supply · Weekly Summary

• [New] The 2026 closure of the Strait of Hormuz triggered the largest oil supply disruption on record, driving a sharp increase in crude oil and jet fuel prices and impacting airline operating costs worldwide. Global Business Travel Association - GBTA
• [New] The structural dependence on China, which controls nearly 90% of global refining, will continue to prompt manufacturers to build alternative REEs supply chains. Coface
• [New] Heightened tensions around Iranian targets have historically raised concerns about shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of global oil supply flows. Crypto Briefing
• [New] The ongoing turmoil in the Middle East has led to increased gasoline prices, reflecting heightened concerns about supply disruptions. Crypto Briefing
• [New] The disruption to shipping caused by conflict in the Middle East is the latest reminder of the fragility of global supply chains. Dare, HEC Media Hub
• [New] There is execution risk around data center capacity, power availability, chip supply, OpenAI-related economics, enterprise AI adoption, and competitive pressure from Amazon, Google, Anthropic, Meta, and open-source models. investing.com
• [New] Project Vault, supported by a $10 billion EXIM loan and $2 billion in private-sector investment, is designed as a commercial reserve to protect U.S. manufacturers from supply chain disruptions. Haynes Boone
• [New] Near-term supply disruptions and damage to gas infrastructure - including to Qatar's Ras Laffan, the world's largest liquefaction site - are expected to set back Qatar's planned LNG capacity expansion. IEA
• [New] For the full year of 2026, LNG supply is forecast to largely be unchanged from 2025 as producers in other regions boost output - including from new LNG projects in North America, Africa and Australia. IEA
• [New] Global REE production remains concentrated in a few countries, making supply chains vulnerable to disruption. AZOM
• [New] Samsung Electronics is warning that the current memory supply crunch will deepen in 2027 and persist through 2028, a shortage that keeps padding its own record profits at the expense of enterprise customers and consumers. theregister
• [New] Trade with Europe is the third pressure point, with 'Made in Europe' and Rules of Origin issues under the TCA threatening cross-Channel supply chains and, left unresolved, an €80 billion-a-year trading relationship. EV Powered
• [New] The IMF also warned that the possibility of a renewed Middle East conflict looms large and could extend commodity price volatility, further threaten supply chains, raise prices, and weigh on financial conditions. The Daily Star
• [New] Any escalation threatening Strait of Hormuz transit - through which approximately 20% of global oil supply passes - would trigger immediate and severe repricing across energy and equity markets. UCapital24 Media
• [New] Many procurement teams are now mandated to de-risk their supply chains by sourcing from Europe or the US instead. CNS Media
• [New] A newly announced blockade of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait compounded supply concerns, removing an alternative export route that Saudi crude producers had been using to avoid disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz. Cary Street Partners
• [New] Uncertainties could spur investments in supply chain resilience and exploration of new markets by Chinese companies. The University of Queensland
• [New] Growing America's leadership will require policies that encourage continued investment in semiconductor research, manufacturing, workforce development, trade, and supply chain resilience. Semiconductor Industry Association
• [New] Conflict-driven chokepoint disruptions: Globally critical supply chains through maritime straits, canals, and production hubs are vulnerable to interference from state and nonstate actors alike. Council on Foreign Relations
• Removing 17% of a facility that supplies a fifth of world LNG is not a disruption that gets traded around - it is a permanent change to the global supply curve for the balance of this decade, occurring at precisely the moment demand for gas-fired generation is accelerating. investing.com
• Japan, together with the G7 and other like-minded countries, will further promote the World Bank Group's Resilient and Inclusive Supply chain Enhancement Partnership and cooperate with other MDBs such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Prime Minister's Office of Japan

Last updated: 03 August 2026