Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 12
Trump Reimposes 20% Hormuz Cargo Charge as Oil Jumps 9% and Nasdaq Drops 1.55%
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 12

Trump Reimposes 20% Hormuz Cargo Charge as Oil Jumps 9% and Nasdaq Drops 1.55%

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jul 12

Summary

  • U.S. stocks fell after Trump said he was reinstating an Iran shipping blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and would charge 20% on all cargo for U.S. protection of the route.
  • Oil spiked on the escalation: WTI rose 9.4% above $78 a barrel and Brent gained 9.6% above $83, while the S&P 500 lost 0.79%, the Dow slipped 138 points and the Nasdaq dropped 1.55%.
  • The move followed a weekend exchange of U.S. and Iranian airstrikes after Tehran attacked a commercial vessel in the strait; Iran said Hormuz was closed, but Trump said commercial traffic was still moving.
  • Chip stocks led the selloff, with SK Hynix down 9%, Sandisk 12%, Intel 6% and AMD 4%, while major banks also weakened ahead of earnings.
  • Markets now turn to Tuesday's June CPI report and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's testimony, with investors weighing Middle East risk against expectations for 23% second-quarter S&P 500 profit growth.

Insights

As the Hormuz blockade chokes a fifth of the world's oil, could rising gas prices undermine the policy at home?
With U.S. and Iranian forces in a direct standoff, could a single miscalculation ignite a devastating wider regional war?
Can Trump's 'Guardian of Hormuz' toll succeed, or will global powers challenge it as illegal extortion?