Maersk maintains its 2026 fiscal year profit forecast unchanged

Glonghui May 7th｜Shipping group Maersk’s first-quarter earnings exceeded market expectations, but it maintained its full-year profit forecast unchanged and warned that the Iran war has affected expected freight rates and costs. After the company released its financial results, its stock underperformed the Danish benchmark index due to concerns that high fuel prices might weigh on its profits. Maersk still expects global container shipping volume this year to grow by 2% to 4%, but also stated that the current situation remains unstable. In its statement, the company said: “The outlook for global container demand in 2026 is highly uncertain. Rising energy prices and restricted trade in the Shanghai Bay area (which accounts for about 6% of global container trade in 2025) pose downside risks to growth momentum.”