WS #13196

The dominant narrative remains the US-Iran conflict, which is ESCALATING. Multiple independent sources (GDELT, Al Jazeera, VOV, Newsbeast) corroborate that an LNG tanker (GasLog Shanghai) was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, with UKMTO confirming a vessel was hit. This is a direct supply disruption to LNG flows, reinforcing bullish energy prices. Additionally, Ukrainian drone strikes on three Bashneft refineries in Ufa (1,600 km from border) cut ~20% of Russia's oil refining capacity, per CNN and multiple bsky posts. This adds to global refining tightness. The US Treasury's first yen-buying intervention in over a decade (via NY Fed selling euros for yen through Goldman and Morgan Stanley) is a major FX development, with Bessent's 'to-do' list showing $5-10B yen purchases. This is a counter-signal to the strong-dollar/yen-weakness trend. In equities, Amazon's blowout earnings (AWS strongest growth in 18 quarters, +11% premarket) reignited the AI trade, lifting Nasdaq futures 1.2%, while Apple slid 7% on soft guidance. This is a MAG7 divergence: AMZN bullish, AAPL bearish. Bitcoin mining difficulty fell 14% from highs, signaling weak mining economics. SEC paused Nasdaq's bitcoin options approval after CME challenge, a regulatory overhang for crypto. Central banks bought record 289t of gold in Q2, signaling safe-haven demand. The Colombia car bomb (11 wounded) is a geopolitical risk event but limited market impact. Overall, the key signals are: Hormuz LNG tanker strike (energy bullish), Russia refinery strikes (energy bullish), US yen intervention (FX), AMZN vs AAPL divergence (tech), and crypto regulatory/technical headwinds.