Ed Kalecki

Transits over the past day were led by liquefied petroleum gas carriers, including one headed to India and others with Iranian affiliations.

The Iranian military says major oil producer Iraq is exempt from shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, a potentially significant move for global crude supplies.

In an Arabic-language video statement published by state-run Islamic Republic news agency, Iran's military spokesman said, "...brotherly Iraq is exempt from any restrictions we have imposed on the Strait of Hormuz."

The declaration has the potential to unleash as much as 3 million barrels a day of Iraqi oil cargoes.

An Iraqi official, however, cautioned that the usefulness of the exemption will depend on whether shipping companies are willing to risk entering the Strait to collect cargoes.

It's not immediately clear if the exemption will apply to all Iraqi oil or just the nation's tankers or indeed how it will be enforced.

The war in Iran isn't just affecting the price of oil.

The price of helium is also soaring, with helium spot prices double since Qatar, which produces more than a third of the world's supply, shut down the world's largest liquefied natural gas facility.

Cliff Cain is president of Pulsar Helium.

Pulsar helium President Cliff Cain on Bloomberg this weekend.

Helium is not just used for party balloons.

It's a critical component in everything from medical services and defense production to the creation of semiconductors as a cooling agent.

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could help reboot peace talks between Ukraine and Russia soon.

Bloomberg's Monica Ricks reports.

Easter candy sales are down 5% this year, mostly due to higher chocolate prices.

Diana Rosero-Pena is a consumer equity research analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence.

Bloomberg analyst Diana Rosero-Pena on Bloomberg this weekend.

Cadbury is the best-selling brand of chocolate this time of year, followed by Reese's and Hershey's, Jelly Belly Top's non-chocolate brands.

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