WS #6997

The dominant signal in this window is the continued escalation of the US-Iran conflict, with multiple corroborating sources reporting that President Trump rejected Iran's latest peace offer, prolonging the Strait of Hormuz closure. This is reinforced by reports of Iranian drones striking a South Korean ship, Netanyahu and Trump discussing military action against Iran's nuclear program, and the UK/France leading a multinational mission for Hormuz ship escorts. Oil prices are surging, US equity futures are declining, and the dollar is strengthening. The rejection counters any nascent hope for de-escalation, reinforcing the bearish macro thesis for equities and bullish for energy. Separately, Cerebras Systems is reportedly raising its IPO price range to $150-$160 from $115-$125, a bullish signal for the AI/hardware sector and a potential positive for tickers like NVDA and AMD. The Intel-AAPL chip-making deal mentioned in a single post lacks corroboration and is treated as noise. The hantavirus cruise ship story remains unchanged and is not market-moving.