Middle East reignites conflict! Safe-haven sentiment heats up. These oil, gas, precious metals, and shipping stocks are expected to see high growth in performance.

The Middle East Has Truly Erupted.

U.S. and Israel Jointly Attack Iran

According to reports from Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, and others, on the 28th local time, Israeli Defense Minister Gantz announced that Israel has launched a “preemptive” strike against Iran and declared a state of emergency across the country. An Israeli government official stated that Israel is preparing for a four-day intensive and powerful joint offensive in its first phase.

U.S. President Trump said that the U.S. military has begun military strikes against Iran. The goal of these attacks is to destroy Iran’s missile industry, eliminate the Iranian Navy, and ensure Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons.

Additionally, a U.S. official revealed that attack aircraft and aircraft carriers stationed at bases across the Middle East are carrying out dozens of U.S. airstrikes.

CCTV international news reporters learned that multiple government agencies south of Tehran, the capital of Iran, were hit during the airstrikes. The Associated Press reported that near Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei’s office was targeted.

An Iranian official told media that Iran is preparing for retaliatory actions, which will be “destructive.” According to the latest news from Xinhua, a building in Tel Aviv, Israel, was seen emitting thick smoke; Israel detected missile launches from Iran.

Earlier, the third round of indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations mediated by Oman took place in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 26th. The talks ended without an agreement, but all parties gave positive comments and announced plans to continue technical discussions in Vienna on March 2.

According to Xinhua News Agency, U.S. President Trump on the 27th said he was “dissatisfied” with the current progress of Iran nuclear talks but had not made a final decision on whether to launch military strikes against Iran. He also stated that he does not want to use force, “but sometimes it has to be done.”

Furthermore, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Badri told CBS in Washington on the 27th that Iran has agreed not to possess “nuclear material capable of making a nuclear bomb.”

Institutional Analysis of Future Commodity Trends

The Middle East situation has now become a core disruptive factor in global markets. As risk aversion rises, gold, silver, and oil prices are climbing, while Bitcoin has plummeted. Spot gold rose to around $5,280, spot silver temporarily broke through $94, and Brent and WTI crude for April delivery both closed up over 2%. Bitcoin fell nearly 3% intraday.

Regarding international oil prices, Guosen Securities stated in a research report that the crude oil market has shifted from supply and demand fundamentals to being driven by geopolitical risks. High volatility in prices over the next month is inevitable. If geopolitical issues continue to push prices upward in the short term, investors should focus on upstream oil and gas companies with resource advantages and offshore oil and gas service companies benefiting from industry high prosperity.

In precious metals, Ruida Futures noted that U.S.-Iran geopolitical risks remain the key variable for future trends. In the medium to long term, amid high global geopolitical uncertainty, weakening expectations for fiat currency credit, and central banks continuously increasing gold reserves, the long-term bullish framework for precious metals remains intact.

Regarding shipping, the Middle East situation has heightened market concerns over transportation safety. Clarkson, a shipping broker, pointed out that VLCC spot rates are not solely dependent on crude oil transportation volume; as risk perception rises, freight rates may quickly reprice. Huachuang Securities noted that “geopolitical risk premiums + large-scale stockpiling + intensified sanctions” are driving the VLCC market to an almost unprecedented high.

Many Stocks Expected to Double This Year

According to Shenwan industry classifications, 78 stocks belong to the oil & petrochemical, precious metals, and shipping sectors, many of which have performed strongly since 2026.

Among them, Tongyuan Petroleum surged 173% this year, leading the gains. Hunan Silver and Xiaocheng Technology followed with increases of 128.18% and 118.97%, respectively. Potential Hengxin and Intercontinental Oil & Gas both rose about 99%. Sichuan Gold, China Merchants Steamship, Keli Co., Hunan Gold, COSCO Shipping Energy, and others saw gains exceeding 70% in the period.

Data from Eastmoney’s Choice shows that, based on consensus forecasts from three or more institutions, a total of 16 oil & gas, precious metals, and shipping stocks are expected to see net profit growth of over 20% in 2026.

Specifically, institutions predict that Orient Shenghong’s net profit could increase approximately 221% year-on-year; Haitong Development and Hengyi Petrochemical are also expected to double their earnings. Rongsheng Petrochemical’s forecasted net profit growth rate is about 92%. Six other stocks, including Guanghui Energy, Tongkun Co., Chifeng Gold, CICC Gold, Shandong Gold, and Zhongman Petroleum, are expected to see net profit increases of over 30%.

(Source: Eastmoney Research Center)