Fear index Vix tumbles w/oil on Trump’s softer Iran tone. Reality check: both still elevated vs. pre-war. This isn’t calm – it’s just less panic.
Source: HolgerZ, Bloomberg
Suspicious $580M Oil Trades Precede Trump Announcement, Raising Insider Concerns
$580M in oil futures (Brent, WTI) were traded minutes before Donald Trump announced “productive talks” with Iran, triggering falling oil prices and rising global stocks. The timing fuels insider trading concerns, as unusual volumes and market moves appeared before public news. Experts call it abnormal, echoing past suspicious trades. The White House denies wrongdoing amid growing investor concern. Source: Financial Times (FT)
The S&P 500 $SPX is back inside the "eternal" range as the max frustration market continues.
Amazingly enough, the 6600/7000 (futures) range continues to hold. Note we are still below the 200 day MA. Source: TME
Goldman Sachs has raised its oil price forecast for the rest of this year, betting on a longer disruption to flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil to average $85/$79/bbl for 2026 (up from $77/72 Brent & WTI), and $80/$75/bbl for 2027. Goldman Sachs. Source: Open Square Capital
Gold has been slightly more oversold on a few occasions over the past decade.
Daily RSI at 24 is extreme, but as we all know, oversold tends to stay oversold for longer than most think possible. Source: TME
Will the equity market follow the historical script around geopolitical shocks
"The historical playbook is for a sharp selloff of about -6% to -8% but a bottom on average in 3 weeks, and a full recovery in another 3, usually long before the underlying escalation is resolved. The current selloff is in the vicinity of a typical bottom in size and timing." - Deutsche Bank Source: Sam Ro @SamRo DB
U.S. Energy Ultimatum to Europe: Strategic Pressure for Long-Term Dependence
President Donald Trump demands Europe sign a $750B energy deal or lose U.S. LNG access. With supply constrained (Qatar offline, Russia absent, Norway maxed, prices up 35–50%), the U.S. dominates EU LNG (57%). Tensions with Iran spike oil, then ease to influence markets. The deal locks Europe into LNG, oil, and nuclear dependence by 2028, mirroring Russia’s parallel strategy in Asia.
Today is the six-year anniversary of the COVID Crash low.
The S&P would need to fall 66% to get back to that level. Source: Bespoke
