WS #134

The data window reveals a significant escalation in the Iran conflict, with an Iranian drone strike hitting Oman's largest oil storage facility, as reported by Oilprice.com. This development directly threatens global oil supply chains, corroborated by earlier reports of the Strait of Hormuz blockade and UN Security Council resolutions. Oil prices are already spiking, with WTI Crude up 5.70% and Brent Crude up 5.60% in real-time, indicating immediate market impact. Concurrently, Al Jazeera highlights Europe's energy dilemmas from the war, competing with Asia for scarcer supplies and benefiting Russia, which could pressure European equities and inflation further. In corporate news, Descartes Systems Group reported a Q4 EPS miss of $0.52 vs. $0.61 estimate, though sales beat, potentially affecting tech sector sentiment. Stellus Capital Investment also missed Q4 EPS estimates, signaling weakness in financials. Joby Aviation's flight testing for FAA Type Inspection Authorization marks a regulatory milestone that could boost its stock, while TechTarget's positive FY26 EBITDA guidance may support its shares. However, most SEC filings are routine 8-Ks with no immediate market-moving implications, such as those from VYNE Therapeutics and Core Molding Technologies. Geopolitical and energy signals dominate, with the Oman strike likely to drive oil prices higher in the next 1-8 hours, impacting energy stocks and broader indices like SPY. The extreme weather events in the US Midwest, including tornado fatalities, are noise for financial markets unless they disrupt critical infrastructure or supply chains, which is not indicated here.