2320 GMT - New Hope is benefiting from the run up in coal prices that has followed the Iran conflict, but Macquarie cautions investors to stay alert to the availability of diesel. Macquarie says the market backdrop for New Hope has improved due to increased demand for seaborne thermal coal, as fuel users substituting natural gas on Qatar's LNG outage. Still, New Hope relies on diesel fuel at its mines. Diesel accounts for some 20% of its costs. "Should diesel supplies become scarce, it could present a risk to continued operations across the sector," Macquarie says. "Management noted it doesn't see a near term risk but has engaged respective industry bodies to put in place preventive measures." Macquarie upgrades New Hope to "neutral," from "underperform." (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 17, 2026 19:20 ET (23:20 GMT)

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