Leaders from the Gulf Arab states are scheduled to meet Donald Trump Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. If they cannot get any clarity from the US president on when they will be able to resume uninterrupted energy exports, they will increasingly look elsewhere for economic security, argues Tom Holland, even to the extent of seeking an independent deal with Iran. Then, after meeting the Gulf leaders Tuesday, Trump is due to sit down with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Washington Thursday. Tom Miller looks at what will be up for discussion, and what the summit is likely to deliver.

It is Wednesday. Warring parties in the Middle East are again exchanging fire, and energy prices are spiking. For investors, it may be tempting to shrug off the latest flare-up, but disregarding the latest escalation in the Persian Gulf would be rash. Developments in the region will matter greatly for the trajectory of inflation over the coming months, and therefore for financial markets.

Economic relations between India and China have not yet returned to normal, even after a two-year thaw. But Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have an opportunity to deepen economic engagement when they meet in New Delhi on September 12-13. Progress on stabilizing the neighbors’ disputed border means India may now open up to Chinese investment, argues Tom Miller. Meanwhile, Tom Holland says that private investors would be mad to back US president Donald Trump’s Venezuelan oil deal.