QtrendsOil markets are volatile as conflicting reports emerge about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran reportedly closing the key waterway again and the US threatening tolls if no nuclear deal is reached within 60 days. SpaceX's secondary market frenzy is cooling but a new wave of institutional capital is poised to enter. Alibaba's Joe Tsai makes the company's biggest AI push yet at VivaTech, while China's DeepSeek and Zhipu push into trillion-parameter models despite US restrictions.
Oil prices continue to fall while stock markets climb, but traders are increasingly concerned that the divergence has overshot fundamentals. The initial SpaceX trading frenzy driven by retail investors is cooling off, yet a fresh wave of institutional capital is waiting on the sidelines. Market observers are watching for a contrarian energy investment play as oil prices slump.
Iran has reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz again, casting fresh uncertainty over ongoing nuclear negotiations. Former President Trump has threatened to impose US tolls on the waterway if a final nuclear deal is not reached within 60 days. Conflicting reports about the strait's status are driving new volatility in oil markets.
Few ships have transited the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, but maritime data companies now report that stranded vessels have begun moving through the waterway again. Three Indian-flagged tankers safely crossed the strait, carrying 860,000 tonnes of crude oil back to India. The partial reopening offers a tentative sign of de-escalation amid ongoing diplomatic uncertainty.
A former Trump administration official describes the US-Iran framework as 'enormously helpful' to Iran in an exclusive CNN interview. Easing tensions with Iran have pushed mortgage rates lower, though a potential Fed rate hike threatens to reverse that trend. The Iran conflict has also unexpectedly strengthened US-UAE bilateral relations, according to CNBC reporting.
Alibaba Chairman Joe Tsai made the company's strongest AI push yet at VivaTech, declaring 'we're all in' on artificial intelligence. Chinese AI developers DeepSeek and Zhipu are accelerating their push into trillion-parameter foundation models, buoyed by lower costs and sustained investor momentum despite US export restrictions. Meanwhile, China is promoting safe AI adoption in the financial sector and a Google shake-up highlights how scarce human expertise is becoming the bottleneck in AI development.