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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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Wall Street Futures Sink as Fed Rate-Cut Hopes Fade

U.S. stock futures tumbled Friday, extending the market’s steepest sell-off in over a month as investors reassessed the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate cut in December. Dow Jones futures slipped about 0.6%, S&P 500 futures fell nearly 1%, and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped more than 1.2%.

The downturn follows Thursday’s bruising session, where all three major indexes logged their sharpest one-day declines in weeks. Tech stocks led the retreat, with Tesla sliding 4% in premarket trading and Nvidia down another 3%. Concerns over lofty valuations in artificial intelligence and Big Tech have fueled a shift toward safer sectors.

Investor sentiment has soured as Fed officials adopt a more hawkish tone, signaling caution on policy easing. Traders now see less than a 50% chance of a quarter-point rate cut next month, a sharp drop from expectations earlier this fall.

The gloomy outlook underscores the fragile balance between hopes for monetary relief and fears of persistent inflation. With Wall Street bracing for more volatility, analysts warn that the coming weeks could test investor confidence across equities, particularly in high-growth sectors.


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