Maersk profit beats forecasts, war on Iran clouds outlook

Shipping group ⁠Maersk beat first-quarter profit forecasts but kept its full-year earnings guidance unchanged, warning that the US-Israel war on Iran has left freight rates and costs uncertain. Maersk, ⁠often seen as a bellwether for global trade, still projects global container volume growth of 2 to 4 percent this year. However, it cautioned the situation remains volatile. “The outlook for global container demand in 2026 is highly uncertain. Higher energy ‌prices and constraints on trade in the Upper Gulf region, which in 2025 accounted for around 6 percent of global container trade, pose downside risks to the growth momentum,” the company said in a statement.