• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
LeadershipLeadership

CEOs shouldn’t worry about the economic fallout from the Israel-Iran conflict—yet

By
Lila MacLellan
Lila MacLellan
Former Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lila MacLellan
Lila MacLellan
Former Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 3, 2024, 12:20 PM ET
People take cover behind vehicles under a bridge along the side of a highway in Tel Aviv on Oct. 1, 2024.
People take cover behind vehicles under a bridge along the side of a highway in Tel Aviv on Oct. 1, 2024.JACK GUEZ—AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The world is on edge watching the Middle East this week following Iran’s surprising missile attacks on Israel, and Israel’s vow to respond.

Recommended Video

On Oct. 1, Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles into Israel in retaliation for Israel’s late-September killing of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia and political organization in Lebanon. Millions of Israelis were forced to seek safety in bomb shelters, but most of the incoming missiles were intercepted. Those that landed did not cause significant damage.

From a humanitarian standpoint, the ongoing, widening conflict—now also involving several strikes in densely populated areas of Lebanon—following a year of devastating loss of life in Gaza and the Oct. 7 terror attacks, is dire and alarming. But from an economic perspective, the escalation doesn’t represent a crisis—yet.

Johan Gott, cofounder of Prism, a consulting company specializing in political risk, says Iran’s stunning attack demonstrated that Tehran doesn’t have the capacity to damage the parts of Israel’s infrastructure and industry that are connected to the global economy, such as its semiconductor sector. “We have removed that worry on a large scale,” he tells Fortune. “At least thus far.”

The real threat to global economic stability remains the possibility that, with Iran drawn deeper into the conflict, Tehran could target oil infrastructure and trading routes in the Persian Gulf, through which roughly 25% of global oil shipments travel. “A closure there would be unprecedented,” says Gott. “There would be immediate, massive implications.” 

“Thus far, oil prices have been kept in check, despite the high risk of conflict in the Middle East, a bit of a historical anomaly,” Prism also writes in a new report. “But Israeli strikes on Iranian oil production or Iranian disruption of oil exports of the Persian Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc.) would change that immediately. We could see a doubling or tripling of oil prices.”

Oil prices have modestly increased this week. Brent crude, which was trading at $71 a barrel before Iran’s attack, hit $76 on Oct. 2 and stood at $75 at the time of writing.

To complicate matters, an oil supply crunch could coincide with a surge in demand, given rate cuts in the U.S. and China’s new efforts to use stimulus to kick-start its weak economy. Those stimulus efforts are starting to pay off, with Chinese equity markets “spiking,” says George Coe, cofounder of Prism. In recent years, China’s faltering demand has kept commodity prices lower. So among many intersecting concerns related to a potential oil supply disruption, “you could have a demand spike and a supply problem at the same time,” Coe explains, which in turn could lead to higher prices and shortages. 

What CEOs should be paying attention to

Still, say the pair, short of such a scenario, their advice to U.S. CEOs is to keep an eye on threats closer to home. The dockworker strike at U.S. ports and the potential for it to cause supply-chain chaos, which could also reintroduce inflation, should loom large with business leaders. The potential impacts of the strike have been underreported, they say.

But the duo’s larger concern is the U.S. election and protectionist trade policies floated by former President Donald Trump. The Republican nominee has promised to implement universal import tariffs if he wins in November and steeper tariffs on already taxed Chinese goods. Most mainstream economists say his policies would have enormous consequences for American families, but also global companies, including some of the largest U.S. multinational businesses, as Fortune’s Geoff Colvin reports. (Democratic nominee Kamala Harris supports “targeted and strategic” tariffs, a spokesperson told Colvin.)

Companies are still responding to the trade war Trump kicked off with China in his first term by reorienting their cost structures and supply chains, says Coe, and Trump’s latest proposals are far more extreme. “Some calculations indicate half a trillion worth of increased cost per year for U.S. imports—a number that then needs to be doubled to account for all but certain U.S. trade partner retaliation,” the duo write in their new report. “This would be a much bigger shock to global supply chains than the China trade war in Trump’s first term.“

During his first term, companies didn’t proactively respond to Trump’s tariff proposals, believing they were too outlandish, Gott adds. Despite all the noise about people eating pets and other bizarre claims, he continues, Trump has been consistent with his policies on trade, and he successfully executed on them in his first term. Four years later, if Trump wins, Gott says, discounting his trade proposals again would be “a huge mistake.”

About the Author
By Lila MacLellanFormer Senior Writer
LinkedIn icon

Lila MacLellan is a former senior writer at Fortune, where she covered topics in leadership.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

The true cost of Donald Trump’s $2.2 billion year
NewslettersCEO Daily
The true cost of Donald Trump’s $2.2 billion year
By Diane BradyJuly 2, 2026
4 hours ago
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
SuccessCareers
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 2, 2026
8 hours ago
Trump’s 927-page disclosure is just a normal Tuesday for direct indexing and crypto wealth managers
InvestingDonald Trump
Trump’s 927-page disclosure is just a normal Tuesday for direct indexing and crypto wealth managers
By Catherina GioinoJuly 1, 2026
16 hours ago
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
22 hours ago
U.S. Polo Assn. CEO J. Michael Prince
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
U.S. Polo Assn. CEO was flat-out told he wasn’t right for a promotion—so he ‘outworked’ anyone else who wanted the job for 6 months straight until they changed their mind
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 1, 2026
23 hours ago
Nikesh Arora, chief executive officer at Palo Alto Networks
SuccessJobs
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
24 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
Newsletters
The Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling hands the U.S. economy a $7.7 trillion win
By Diane BradyJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
Politics
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 1, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.