Mercari shares surged over 4% on Friday, continuing their recovery from a selloff triggered by the Japanese e-commerce platform’s decision to limit listings of Pokémon’s 30th anniversary merchandise, announced on Tuesday. The company stated these constraints would persist until it can guarantee a secure trading environment. Shares plummeted 6.4% on Wednesday when the restrictions took effect, then rebounded to close 1.4% higher Thursday. The stock also outperformed the Nikkei 225 on Friday morning, which rose approximately 1%. Mercari explained it implemented the temporary ban due to concerns that a transaction surge following the anniversary release could spark trading disputes and user harassment. Citigroup linked Wednesday’s 6%+ decline to the Pokémon card listing announcement, noting Mercari’s recent share weakness had pushed the stock to “overly pessimistic levels,” deeming shares “oversold” and the pullback an investment opportunity. The bank added that second-half fiscal 2026 gross merchandise value growth exceeded expectations, with a multi-category recovery potentially supporting double-digit growth. Citi also stated that while halting certain product trades was negative for Mercari, the impact wasn’t significant enough to revise forecasts. The restrictions arrive amid a global Pokémon card frenzy. Online marketplace eBay reported “Pokémon” was searched over six million times on its U.K. site in July, highlighting sustained demand. Pokémon card prices have skyrocketed 1,350% since 2020, according to a Collectors index — which owns grading agency Professional Sports Authenticator — Verum previously reported. In February, influencer Logan Paul sold a rare Pikachu Illustrator card for over $16 million after purchasing it for just over $5 million in 2021. New cards sell out within minutes, with buyers coordinating on X and Discord. An X post this month claimed a Pokémon card fetched $2.7 million at auction, setting a record. Mercari signed an agreement with The Pokémon Company in 2023 to promote safer trading of Pokémon products on its marketplace, and introduced a 2025 policy allowing listing restrictions when fraud, transaction disputes, or extreme price volatility threaten marketplace safety.

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Crude oil prices declined for three straight sessions on Friday, closing essentially flat for the week, as investors expect the temporary shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline to have a smaller effect on supply availability than initially anticipated.

West Texas Intermediate futures dropped 1.6% to end Friday at $100.30 per barrel, while Brent crude—a key international benchmark—decreased 0.9% to trade at $103.87. U.S. crude oil held steady weekly against a slight dip in Brent by nearly one percent.

Prices had surged more than 5% following a drone strike originating from Iraq that damaged the Saudi pipeline on Wednesday, triggering its shutdown.

“Mid Eastern oil shipments show surprising resilience despite the interruption to Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline,” explained Natasha Kaneva, JPMorgan’s global commodities strategy lead.

JPMorgan projects that Middle Eastern oil throughput averaged approximately 17 million barrels daily over the last ten days—roughly 6 million barrels per day shy of the 2025 benchmark.

Imagery indicates Saudi Arabia has transported 2.8 million barrels per day across the Strait of Hormuz during the preceding six days, up dramatically from just 700,000 barrels per day in August; total export volume reached 5 million bpd on Tuesday according to the analyst.

Kaneva warned that sustaining such volumes may prove challenging, noting that the alternative route seems functional barring Iranian approval.

Helima Croft, RBC Capital Markets’ global commodity strategy chief, emphasized the severity of potential disruptions to crude and refined products.

Croft indicated that Yemeni Houthi supporters in Iran likely maintain access to drone and weaponry supplies necessary for continued strikes on the East-West Pipeline and Red Sea energy assets.

Meanwhile, Rapidan Energy forecasts that the pipeline disruption will limit Saudi crude output and exports through at minimum September’s conclusion.

“Risk remains tilted toward greater disruption should the pipeline stalls beyond September or if Iran, the Houthis, or affiliated proxy factions intensify their offensive operations,” Rapidan advised on Thursday.