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Rising Tensions Leave Ships Stranded in Key Oil Passage

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ⁠was closed for a fourth day on Tuesday, choking off a key artery accounting for about 20% of global oil and gas supply. Greece’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Vassilis Kikilias, has raised urgent concerns over an increasingly alarming situation in the Strait of Hormuz, where dozens of vessels remain stranded amid escalating conflict involving Iran. He emphasized the need to safeguard global shipping and protect seafarers as the strategic waterway—responsible for roughly 20% of global oil and gas flows—remains closed for a fourth consecutive day.  The closure has disrupted international trade routes and heightened anxiety across the maritime sector. Greek authorities have urged shipowners to exercise maximum caution and avoid high‑risk zones in the wider Persian Gulf region as tensions continue to rise. The prolonged shutdown underscores the vulnerability of global supply chains to geopolitical instability and highlights th...

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Stocks Open on a Positive Note as Earnings Season Kicks Off

 

The stock market opened on a positive note today, with stocks edging up as the earnings season kicks off. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.2%, or about 75 points, while the benchmark S&P 500 gained 0.4% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced about 0.3%. 

The earnings season is seen as a crucial chance for stocks to shake off the losses built in the year so far. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo all posted decent results on Friday, but the latter two saw shares fall as they failed to settle nerves about potential pain ahead.

Oil prices jumped more than 2% after the US and its allies launched airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, drawing threats of reprisals from the Iran-backed group behind Red Sea attacks on shipping. Meanwhile, investors are looking for more insight into price pressures after the consumer CPI reading came in hotter than expected on Thursday. 

On Friday, the producer price index showed an unexpected fall in prices last month, boosting hopes that inflation will continue to cool in the months ahead.



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