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Thu, May 7, 2026 at 1:50 AM PDT
STORY: Maersk beat first-quarter profit forecasts on Thursday.The shipping group’s earnings before tax and other costs reached $1.73 billion.That beat analyst forecasts but was well below last year’s number.However, the first quarter didn’t capture the Middle East war’s full impact on global supply chains as the conflict only began in late February.Analysts often watch Maersk’s results as it is seen as a bellwether for global trade.The Middle East war has disrupted shipping routes across the region.That after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, pushing up costs like fuel.Maersk said freight rates fell during the quarter due to continued capacity oversupply.But then rose sharply toward the end of the period following the outbreak of the war.Looking ahead, the Danish shipping giant kept its full-year earnings guidance unchanged.It still projects global container volume growth of between 2% and 4%, but warned the situation was volatile.Maersk further said the Iran War had clouded the outlook for freight rates and costs.Shares were down more than 3.5% in early trade as investors worried how high fuel prices could hit profits.