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'We simply don't know' - JP Morgan struggling to forecast oil prices due to US-Iran war

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Race, M. (2026, September 18). 'We simply don't know' - JP Morgan struggling to forecast oil prices due to US-Iran war. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq0m3gmv8n7ko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

BBC News · collected 2026-09-18 · by Michael Race

Quick Summary

JP Morgan, a major investment bank, has issued an unusual note to investors expressing difficulty in predicting how the US-Iran conflict will affect oil prices. The bank initially assumed that economic thresholds like oil reaching $100 per barrel would force a resolution but now acknowledges that these markers have been surpassed without clear de-escalation. JP Morgan’s commodities research team admits they lack a baseline view for modeling the conflict's endgame, reflecting uncertainty over future US policy moves and their impact on global markets.
Written by AI on 2026-09-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

JP Morgan, a major investment bank, recently warned investors that forecasting oil prices amid the US-Iran war has become extremely challenging. The bank admitted in an unusual note that it cannot model the economic outcomes of the ongoing conflict, stating they "simply don't know how to model the endgame." Initially, JP Morgan had assumed certain economic thresholds—such as oil prices rising above $100 a barrel and inflation reaching 4%—would trigger a resolution. However, these benchmarks have not materialized, leaving analysts uncertain about future developments. The note reflects the unpredictable nature of the White House's decisions regarding the conflict, highlighting significant market concerns.

Written for “Oil Prices Volatility Us Iran Tensions” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Oil Prices Volatility Us Iran Tensions
Economy/Business · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Semafor
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the economic and financial impacts of the US-Iran conflict, but they do not report on the exact same incident at the same time.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 11 of 42 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the oil market situation due to conflicts but do not report on the same specific incident.”
Semafor
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of an ongoing situation involving oil prices and conflicts but do not describe the same specific incident.”
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 35 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the broader conflict involving Iran and Saudi Arabia but describe distinct events: one about imminent Houthi attacks threatening Saudi cities and a UN warning, while the other is about JP Morgan's struggle to predict oil price impacts due to the US-Iran war.”
NBC News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 21 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss related topics but describe different aspects of the US-Iran war's economic impacts: one focuses on inflation reported by CBO, and the other on JP Morgan's struggles to predict oil prices.”
TIME
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 21 of 69 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of broader geopolitical events and their impacts on oil prices without clearly describing the same specific incident.”
Semafor
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different time periods and contexts related to oil prices due to Middle East tensions, but do not specifically report on one single incident occurring at the same place and time.”
CBS News
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 5 of 22 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the ongoing conflict: one focuses on Houthi-Saudi tension and Iranian proxy attacks, while the other discusses JP Morgan's struggle to forecast oil prices due to the US-Iran war.”
Semafor
Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the impact of the US-Iran war on oil markets and shipping, rather than describing the same specific incident or occurrence.”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 16 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the situation involving US-Iran tensions and the Strait of Hormuz, with Article A focusing on the U.S. military's assertion that the strait remains open to shipping and rejecting Iran's control over it, while Article B discusses JP Morgan's struggle to predict oil price impacts due to the ongoing conflict.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
BBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

BBC News · 4709 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Michael Race
18 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 - Published The UK may have no involvement in the US-Iran war, but the country is feeling the full force of the conflict on its economy.
🔮 The Ukraine steel industry estimates steel exports to the EU could ultimately fall by about 50–60%.
🔮 - Published Not building a third runway at Heathrow Airport would be a "huge missed opportunity" for the UK, the boss of the country's busiest airport has warned.
🔮 The latest figures show borrowing - the difference between tax receipts and government spending - was £18.3bn ($24.4bn) in August, almost a fifth higher than the year before and higher than official forecasts.
🔮 - Published Investment banking giant JP Morgan has said it is struggling to predict how oil prices will be impacted by the US-Iran war, telling investors in a rare note that "we simply don't know how to model the endgame".
🔮 - Published US interest rates have been raised for the first time in more than three years and could be increased further in a bid to slow rising prices.
🔮 It comes ahead of the Federal Reserve making its latest interest rate decision next week, with growing expectations they will be increased in a bid to slow the rate at which prices are rising.
🔮 For two days, Toronto will host more than 100 global investors overseeing more than C$100tn ($72tn; £53tn) in assets, in the hope that new economic relationships will help Canada navigate an increasingly unstable geopolitical climate.
🔮 - Published When the central bank of the Netherlands confirmed this week that it had moved tonnes of the country's gold out of North America, it said the relocation would make it "better prepared for severe crises".
🔮 The president's remarks came as stronger-than-expected jobs figures in the US added to growing expectations that rates could be increased, with inflation still running high and American households feeling the pinch of rising prices.
Also by Michael Race
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 18 articles by Michael Race →

Topics

BBC Iran JP Morgan the Federal Reserve the White House's

Subjects

Iran GPE · 5× JP Morgan ORG · 3× Trump PERSON · 2× BBC ORG · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Fed ORG · 1× JP Morgan's ORG · 1× Kevin Warsh PERSON · 1× the Federal Reserve ORG · 1× the White House's ORG · 1×

Narrative

While gasoline remains below $5 and inflation has also not reached 4%, oil prices have surged back above $100 in recent weeks and the interest rate - known as a yield - on government bonds, which are issued in order for the US to borrow money from financial markets, has ticked over 5%.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-19
🔮 - Published Investment banking giant JP Morgan has said it is struggling to predict how oil prices will be impacted by the US-Iran war, telling investors in a rare note that "we simply don't know how to model the endgame".

Claims (22 extracted, 1 hedged)

- Published Investment banking giant JP Morgan has said it is struggling to predict how oil prices will be impacted by the US-Iran war, telling investors in a rare note that "we simply don't know how to model the endgame". asserted
we → publish → endgame
The bank said it "assumed" at the start of the conflict that there would be "economic red lines" that the US would be unwilling the cross, and therefore it believed a deal would have been struck to open up the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane back in June. asserted
deal → say → June
It said such red lines included oil prices rising above $100 a barrel, inflation rising to 4%, gasoline topping $5 a gallon and interest rates on 10-year government borrowing hitting 5%. asserted
rates → say → %
"The market is on edge," analysts said. asserted
analysts → say → edge
JP Morgan is a huge name in the financial world, so for the investment bank to admit its experts are grappling with working out the economic impact of the US-Iran conflict reflects the tricky nature of trying to predict the White House's next moves. asserted
experts → admit → moves
An oil and gas industry source told the BBC it was "unusual" for such a high-profile investment firm to issue such a note, but added it was a "reflection on the state of play", given the uncertainties around the conflict. asserted
it → tell → conflict
Investors often make investment decisions on inflation expectations and the price of oil is a major factor in prices rising across the world, given the commodity's widespread use and humanity's dependence on it. asserted
prices → make → it
While gasoline remains below $5 and inflation has also not reached 4%, oil prices have surged back above $100 in recent weeks and the interest rate - known as a yield - on government bonds, which are issued in order for the US to borrow money from financial markets, has ticked over 5%. asserted
US → remain → %
"Six months later [since the war began], many of those lines have been crossed, yet the exit strategy is less clear, not more," said the commodities research team at JP Morgan in note. asserted
team → begin → note
"For the first time since the start of the Iran conflict, we don't have a baseline view. asserted
we → have → view
We simply don't know how to model the endgame." asserted
We → know → endgame
US President Donald Trump said last week he did not think the Iran war would end until after November's midterm elections in the US. asserted
war → say → US
"Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward," Trump told reporters last week. asserted
Trump → go → reporters
"I think it's going to take a little bit longer than the midterm." asserted
it → think → midterm
High oil prices have been behind the rising cost of living in the US and around the world, with fuel and energy prices surging ahead of the colder months. asserted
prices → rise → months
The US central bank, the Federal Reserve, raised interest rates this week for the first time in more than three years and signaled they could be increased further this year and into 2027 in an effort to slow rising prices. uncertain
they → raise → prices
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said the move was because "inflation is too high and has been for too long", though Trump disagreed with the decision. asserted
Trump → say → decision
In JP Morgan's note, analysts said it estimated the "fair value" for oil in September would be around $90 a barrel, despite it trading above $100. asserted
it → say → 100
But it said "the market is pricing in the risk" of more disruption to trade. asserted
market → say → trade
Analysts cited further risks to oil supply in the Middle East, with Yemen's Houthis, which are backed by Iran, seizing an area at the mouth of the waterway in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is another key international shipping route. asserted
which → cite → Strait
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine also continues to have an impact. asserted
conflict → continue → impact
Analysts said with "no clear signals" of the war de-escalating, the assumption that global oil supply disruption was temporary is "becoming increasingly difficult to sustain". asserted
disruption → say → escalating
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