The Open Bell — Ep. 041 — 18 Aug 2026

Today on The Open Bell: Iran's latest threats to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel that carries roughly one in five barrels of oil shipped globally, are keeping crude above $84 a barrel, and that number doesn't stay in the Gulf forever — it follows you to the petrol station. BHP just reported a 30% jump in profit to $13.2 billion, and the bigger story buried inside those numbers is that copper, the metal wiring every electric vehicle and data cable on the planet, has overtaken iron ore as their biggest earner for the first time in the company's history. Meanwhile, Wall Street slid Monday after a surprise drop in July retail sales, and the part that should give you pause is that the market's own fear gauge is sitting at its calmest level of the year, right in the middle of rising oil prices, a cooling consumer, and an unresolved conflict in the Middle East. If this one was useful, a five-star rating takes about ten seconds and helps the next listener find it. Hosted by Alex Monroe. New episodes every weekday morning at theopenbell.co Not investment advice. For informational purposes only. --- Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:13 Oil Holds Above $84 as Iran Diplomacy Stalls, Hormuz Stays S 02:48 BHP FY26 Profit Surges 30% as Copper Overtakes Iron Ore 05:05 Wall Street Slides as Retail Sales Miss Weighs on Consumer O 07:06 Closing thoughtsSupport the show