WS #6096

The dominant signal in this window is the ongoing escalation of the Iran-US conflict, with the Strait of Hormuz blockade deepening and oil prices surging. WTI crude jumped over 8% to $104.40/bbl and Brent rose above $101/bbl after Trump ordered a naval blockade of Iranian ports, halting tanker traffic. This has triggered a cascade of economic effects: US gasoline prices hit $4/gallon, consumer sentiment plunged to a record low of 47.6, and inflation expectations spiked to 4.8%. The Fed is signaling it will look through the energy shock, with markets now pricing a potential rate cut later this year. Airlines are slashing forecasts—United Airlines cut its 2026 EPS guidance to $7-$11 from $12-$14 due to jet fuel costs, and Southwest warned on Q2 earnings. European airlines face a jet fuel crisis with IEA warning of potential shortages within six weeks. Defense stocks are giving back gains as investors 'buy the rumor, sell the war.' Meanwhile, the US Treasury froze $344M in crypto linked to Iran, and Tether froze a similar amount at law enforcement request. The UK is considering a rent freeze to protect household budgets from the Iran war fallout. On the tech side, Intel surged 24% on AI-driven CPU demand, AMD rose 12%, and TSMC hit a record high on Taiwan easing single-stock investment caps. Meta announced 8,000 layoffs (10% of workforce) and a multi-year deal to use Amazon's Graviton chips. Google plans to invest up to $40B in Anthropic. DeepSeek released its V4 model, claiming cost efficiency 98% less than GPT-5.5 Pro. The narrative arc is ESCALATING on the Iran front, with the blockade deepening the energy crisis, while tech/AI themes remain strong but are showing signs of rotation.