WS #5844

The dominant signal in this window is the continued escalation of the Strait of Hormuz crisis, with Defense Secretary Hegseth stating the US is ready to use force and that the war is entering a new phase. This is corroborated by multiple sources (NYT, Al Jazeera, Oilprice.com, GDELT). JPMorgan says oil prices have further to rise. Separately, the DOJ dropping its probe into Fed Chair Powell is confirmed by a Seeking Alpha article noting bets on Powell leaving the Fed governor role, and a social media post about US Attorney Pirro closing the investigation. This clears the path for Kevin Warsh's confirmation. The semiconductor sector remains strong with Intel leading, but BofA's Hartnett warns the sector looks 'bubbly' and 'overbought'. Charter Communications stock is sinking after customer losses. Quantum computing advances are intensifying concerns about Bitcoin security. A large NVDA neutral call options block of 48,000 contracts worth $81.55M was detected. Procter & Gamble warned that rising oil prices could add $1 billion in costs next fiscal year. The US and EU signed a critical minerals agreement to boost non-Chinese suppliers. Trump extended a waiver allowing foreign ships to move goods between US ports.