Energy Shockwaves: Southeast Asia Firms Face Rising Resin, Freight and Hiring Caution Amid Middle East War
Southeast Asian businesses are reporting higher petrochemical input costs, rising bunker and container rates, and growing planning uncertainty as Middle East conflict dynamics lift global energy prices. Firms are balancing cost absorption with gradual price pass-through while delaying hiring and expansion, with net energy importers and subsidy-free markets most exposed to sustained shocks.