No, We Cannot “Afford” This War with Iran Either

The Low VIX Hides Fierce Undercurrents Via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, Goldman Sachs’ volatility desk made the following comment: “With the VIX back to its lowest levels in more than a month, our Vol desk is focused on hedging opportunities as 1-month S&P implied correlation is near its lowest level in 20 years.”  Simply, a low VIX can convey a sense of market calm on the surface, yet implied correlation tells a different story. The VIX, based on option trading data, measures the implied volatility of the S&P 500 index. A low VIX means traders expect the market...

Trump Says US To Seize Control Of Hormuz, Get Paid For It - Iran Quickly Blasts Proposal Summary Trump proposes US control of Hormuz: Says the US will "run" the Strait of Hormuz and should be paid for securing it. Strikes escalated over weekend: US hit over 140 Iranian military targets; Iran attacks US-linked facilities across the Gulf. Shipping tensions boil: Iran claims the strait is closed, but commercial vessels continue transiting under US protection. Oil prices climb: on rising risk to global shipping & energy markets, as diplomacy clearly unraveling. Strait of Hormuz traffic...

China Loads Up On US Chip Tools Via Southeast Asia Amid Supply Chain Shift China's imports of chipmaking equipment from Malaysia and Singapore rose sharply in 2025 to surpass those from the US, which sank to an eight-year low, an analysis by Nikkei Asia has found - even as American companies remain a vital source of advanced tools for the country. While the Netherlands and Japan remain China's primary foreign sources of critical semiconductor manufacturing machines by shipment origin, imports from the two Southeast Asian countries reached record levels: $5.7 billion...