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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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Stock Market Today: S&P 500 Breaches 5,300 as Stocks Rally to Records After CPI

 


U.S. stocks rallied on Wednesday, with all three major indexes closing at record highs. A soft reading on consumer prices fueled hopes that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates sooner than expected.
  • The S&P 500 rose nearly 1.2%, closing at 5,308.18, above 5,300 for the first time ever.
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped about 0.9%, creeping closer toward the 40,000 level.
  • The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed about 1.4%, notching its second record close in as many days.

The Consumer Price Index rose 0.3% over the previous month and 3.4% over the prior year in April, a deceleration from March. “Core” inflation, which strips out the cost of food and gas, also cooled. This relatively cool inflation reading led the 10-year Treasury yield to fall 4.35%, its lowest level in a month, and sparked new bets on Fed rate cuts as soon as September. Around 70% of traders now expect at least one cut by the September meeting, a notable increase from a week ago.

Stocks have ground higher amid rekindled confidence that the U.S. economy is in good enough shape for the Federal Reserve to start bringing down rates from their current historic highs. That optimism has fueled a resurgence in bullishness in the market.

Elsewhere on the macroeconomic front, retail sales fell flat last month, coming in well short of Wall Street’s expectations.

In summary, the stock market continues to surge, and investors are closely watching inflation data and Fed policy decisions.


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