Oil Trading Costs Have Surged Since Iran War Began

Intercontinental Exchange Inc. has significantly boosted the margins traders have to post for its Brent crude and European diesel futures contracts since start of the war in Iran, as surging volatility spiked energy prices.

The increases have effectively more than doubled the cost of trading the world’s most liquid crude and diesel futures contracts at a time when global oil markets are facing one of the worst supply disruptions in history. Shipments through the critical Strait of Hormuz remain severely curtailed more than a month into the conflict.