WS #11740
The US-Iran conflict remains the dominant macro theme, with the Strait of Hormuz traffic collapsing to just 6 ships today vs 21 yesterday, per Kepler data, confirming renewed disruption. However, oil prices are falling (Brent crude -0.1% to $77.94, WTI -2.11% to $71.97) as traders bet the strikes will be short-lived, a counter-signal to the bullish oil thesis. The White House is promoting $3.47 gas at 25 private stations to offset pump anxiety. Silver jumped 3.71% to $60.33/oz. The AI/semiconductor sector continues to rally strongly: Meta announced its first paid AI developer tier, OpenAI moved GPT-5.6 to general availability, and Micron's $250B US investment plan is supportive. Apple announced a $30B+ chip supply agreement with Broadcom through 2031, sending AVGO up 4%+. A $217.13M dark pool QQQ order and a $203.11M MU dark pool order were detected. The dominant theme is ESCALATING US-Iran conflict, with counter-signals from oil price pullback and White House gas price intervention.
Topics
Key developments
- Strait of Hormuz traffic collapses to 6 ships as US-Iran strikes resume
- Apple signs $30B+ chip supply deal with Broadcom through 2031
- Meta announces first paid AI developer tier; OpenAI GPT-5.6 goes GA
- Micron plans $250B US investment through 2035; dark pool $203M MU order
- Silver jumps 3.71% to $60.33/oz; gold up 1% on geopolitical risk
- Dark pool $217M QQQ order detected
- Starbucks building AI software to replace Microsoft, IBM tools
- Salesforce downgraded by KeyBanc to Sector Weight