WS #11841

The dominant theme in this window is the escalating US-Iran crisis over the Strait of Hormuz, which is now at a critical inflection point. The US has issued a formal demand for Iran to publicly declare the strait open, with talks scheduled in Oman on July 11. However, President Trump has declared the ceasefire 'over' and threatened massive missile strikes if Iran attempts to assassinate him. The US has also imposed new sanctions on Iran, breaking a key clause of the June MoU. This represents a significant escalation from the previous window, where the situation was described as stable. Oil prices are projected to surge past $115, with Brent already up 5.5% on the week. The crisis is directly impacting energy stocks, shipping, and broader market sentiment. Separately, SK Hynix's $26.5 billion US IPO debuted strongly (+13.1%), signaling continued investor appetite for AI-related semiconductor plays despite recent volatility. The Apple-OpenAI lawsuit is being widely reported across multiple sources, confirming its significance as a standalone tech sector development.