x     Brent crude, the European benchmark, closed Monday at $112.78 per barrel and continued climbing in the futures market past $114, its highest level since July 2022. Oil has surged roughly 55% in March, the largest monthly gain since the contract's inception in 1988. The rally comes as the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran enters its fifth week with no clear resolution in sight. The near-total halt of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly