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The 8 April ceasefire announcement and parallel discussions around a 45-day truce have not resolved the Strait of Hormuz disruption. They have, for now, capped the worst-case scenario, but tanker traffic remains at a fraction of normal levels and Iran's demand for transit fees signals a structural shift, not a temporary one.
What began as a regional conflict has become a global energy shock, and the question for markets is no longer whether Hormuz was disrupted, but how permanently the disruption changes the pricing floor for oil.
Key takeaways
- Around 20 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil and petroleum products normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman, equal to about one-fifth of global oil consumption and roughly 30% of global seaborne oil trade.
- This is a flow shock, not an inventory problem. Oil markets depend on continuous throughput, not static storage.
- If the disruption persists beyond a few weeks, Brent could shift from a short-term spike to a broader price shock, with stagflation risk.
- Tanker traffic through the strait fell from around 135 ships per day to fewer than 15 at the peak of disruption, a reduction of approximately 85%, with more than 150 vessels anchored, diverted, or delayed.
- A two-week ceasefire was announced on 8 April, with 45-day truce negotiations under way. Iran has separately signalled a demand for transit fees on vessels using the strait, which, if formalised, would represent a permanent geopolitical floor on energy costs.
- Markets have begun rotating away from growth and technology exposure toward energy and defence names, reflecting a view that elevated oil is becoming a structural cost rather than a temporary risk premium.
The world’s most critical oil chokepoint
The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 20 million barrels per day of oil and petroleum products, equal to about 20% of global oil consumption and around 30% of global seaborne oil trade. With global oil demand near 104 million bpd and spare capacity limited, the market was already tightly balanced before the latest escalation.
The strait is also a critical corridor for liquefied natural gas. Around 290 million cubic metres of LNG transited the route each day on average in 2024, representing roughly 20% of global LNG trade, with Asian markets the main destination.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has described Hormuz as the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint, noting that even partial interruptions may trigger outsized price moves. Brent crude has moved above US$100 a barrel, reflecting both physical tightness and a rising geopolitical risk premium.
Tankers idle as flows slow
Shipping and insurance data now point to strain in real time. More than 85 large crude carriers are reported to be stranded in the Persian Gulf, while more than 150 vessels have been anchored, diverted or delayed as operators reassess safety and insurance cover. That would leave an estimated 120 million to 150 million barrels of crude sitting idle at sea.
Those volumes represent only six to seven days of normal Hormuz throughput, or a little more than one day of global oil consumption.
Updated shipping and insurance data now confirm more than 150 vessels have been anchored, diverted, or delayed, up from the 85 initially reported. The 1.3 days of global consumption coverage from idle crude remains the binding constraint: this is a flow shock, not a storage problem, and the ceasefire has not yet translated into meaningfully restored throughput.
A market built on flow, not storage
Oil markets function on continuous movement. Refineries, petrochemical plants and global supply chains are calibrated to steady deliveries along predictable sea lanes. When flows through a chokepoint that carries roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption and around 30% of global seaborne oil trade are interrupted, the system can move from equilibrium to deficit within days.
Spare production capacity, largely concentrated within OPEC, is estimated at only 3 million to 5 million bpd. That falls well short of the volumes at risk if Hormuz flows are severely disrupted.
Oil market analysis
How long do idle tankers last?
135M idle barrels — days of cover against each demand benchmark
vs. Strait of Hormuz daily flow (20M bbl/day)
vs. Global oil consumption (104M bbl/day)
vs. US Strategic Petroleum Reserve release (1M bbl/day)
135M
idle barrels on tankers (midpoint of 120–150M range)
~33%
of daily Hormuz flow that is idle storage, not transit
<31 hrs
is all idle storage against global daily consumption
Inflation risks and macro spillovers
The inflationary impact of an oil shock typically arrives in waves. Higher fuel and energy prices may lift headline inflation quickly as petrol, diesel and power costs move higher.
Over time, higher energy costs may pass through freight, food, manufacturing and services. If the disruption persists, the combination of elevated inflation and slower growth could raise the risk of a stagflationary environment and leave central banks facing a difficult trade-off.
No easy offset, a system with little slack
What makes the current episode particularly acute is the lack of slack in the global system.
Global supply and demand near 103 million to 104 million bpd leave little spare cushion when a chokepoint handling nearly 20 million bpd, or about one-fifth of global oil consumption, is compromised. Estimated spare capacity of 3 million to 5 million bpd, mostly within OPEC, would cover only a fraction of the volumes at risk.
Alternative routes, including pipelines that bypass Hormuz and rerouted shipping, can only partly offset lost flows, and usually at higher cost and with longer lead times.
Bottom line
Until transit through the Strait of Hormuz is restored and seen as credibly secure, global oil flows are likely to remain impaired and risk premia elevated. For investors, policymakers and corporate decision-makers, the core question is whether oil can move where it needs to go, every day, without interruption.
US Dollar Index Fundamental Analysis A hard-fought tug-of-war between bulls and bears played out on the DXY Index after U.S. inflation data crossed the wires. A knee-jerk reaction caused the greenback to plunge, but eventually it was able to recover and move into positive territory due to higher Treasury yields (DXY +0.10% to 103.41). However, a bearish USD outlook is held by economists at Bank of America Global Research, who see a mild recession in the USA for this year as fed cuts to begin only in March 2024. “We expect a mild recession starting mid-2023 and Fed cuts to begin only in March 2024.
For 2023, the market expects a much milder recession, with the Fed still hiking rate 1-2 more times before slightly cutting rates in second half of the year.” “For now, we still hold a bearish USD view for the medium term; 2023 playing out in line with leading indicator historical precedents would increase the upside risk to our bearish USD outlook.” US Dollar Index Technical Analysis The US Dollar index has been trading in a range between $102.6 to $104 for the last 7 days. At the time of writing, Dollar Index is currently trading at $103.93, which is a major level of resistance where price has fallen significantly from in the past (Jan 2017). As seen in the photo below, it shows that price has come up to test this trend line that can be clearly seen on the daily time frame, paired with the consolidation, if this daily candlestick closes below $104 there could be a high probability of the US dollar continuing with its higher time frame downtrend.
A break above this trend line however could indicate a move to the upside.
The EURJPY has been trading under the 142.70 resistance area since the end of December 2022. With the price failing to break through over several occasions, the recent weakness in the Japanese Yen has seen the EURJPY trade beyond the resistance level, signaling the potential for a significant move to the upside. The recent weakness in the Japanese Yen comes not only because of the strength of the DXY but from the announcement of Kazuo Ueda as the next Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor.
Kazuo Ueda stated that the BoJ’s current monetary policy is appropriate and that should continue. A sustained move to the upside would not only be dependent on the weakness of the Japanese Yen. A recovery in the strength of the Euro could provide the additional push, to drive the EURJPY higher.
ECB President Lagarde has continued to maintain her hawkish view by commenting that she intends to raise rates by 50bps at the next ECB meeting in March. Looking at the technical analysis, the EURJPY is likely to retrace briefly down to the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level, which coincides with the resistance turned support level, before trading higher toward the key resistance at 145.60, formed by the previous swing high level. However, if the EURJPY trades significantly lower, past the previous swing low and the 50% Fibonacci retracement level, this breakout potential could be invalidated.
Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD) released the latest financial results for Q4 2022 on Wednesday. The Canadian mining company beat both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) for a second consecutive quarter. Barrick Gold reported revenue of $2.726 billion for the quarter vs. $2.674 billion expected.
EPS reported at $0.128 per share vs. $0.111 EPS estimate. The company also announced a dividend of $0.10 per share for Q4 2022. ''Our continued success in not only replenishing but also unlocking significant value in our asset base shows the unmatched potential of our organic growth pipeline,'' CEO of Barrick, Mark Bristow said in a press release. ''A stronger Q4 operational performance, notably from Cortez and Carlin in Nevada, Pueblo Viejo in the Dominican Republic and Tongon in Côte d’Ivoire, contributed to annual gold production of more than 4.1 million ounces in a year impacted by infrastructural issues at Turquoise Ridge in Nevada and the replacement of the rock winder at Kibali in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Copper production from Lumwana in Zambia and Jabal Sayid in Saudi Arabia was well within guidance.'' The company also announced another share buyback program: ''Barrick returned a record $1.6 billion to shareholders in 2022 through dividends and share buybacks and has announced a further share buyback program of up to $1 billion for the next twelve months.'' Stock reaction The stock was down by around 3% at the open in the US at $17.22 as share.
Stock performance 1 month: -3.10% 3 months: +12.79% Year-to-date: +3.67% 1 year: -19.88% Barrick Gold stock price targets BNP Paribas: $19 Barclays: $26 RBC Capital: $20 Goldman Sachs: $18 BMO Capital: $28 Barrick Gold is the 572 nd largest company in the world with a market cap of $31.38 billion. You can trade Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD. Sources: Barrick Gold Corporation, TradingView, MarketWatch, MetaTrader 5, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap
Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) announced Q4 2022 and 2022 full year financial results after the market close in the US on Tuesday. World’s second largest travel company reported revenue of $1.902 billion (up by 24% year-over-year), beating analyst estimate of $1.861 billion. The revenue reported was the highest for a Q4 in Airbnb’s history.
Earnings per share also topped analyst estimate at $0.48 per share vs. $0.256 earnings per share expected. Revenue in 2022 reported at $8.4 billion, up by 40% vs. 2021. CEO commentary ''2022 was another incredible year for Airbnb.
We made almost 100 upgrades to our core service, saw record guest demand, and ended the year with our highest-ever number of active listings globally,'' co-founder and CEO, Brian Chesky said in a press release. Stock reaction Shares of Airbnb closed at $120.49 a share on Tuesday, up by 3.28%. The stock rose by around 9% in the after-hours as Q4 results came in above estimates.
Stock performance 1 month: +19.35% 3 months: +12.95% Year-to-date: +41.37% 1 year: -32.88% Airbnb stock price targets B of A Securities: $130 Barclays: $105 UBS: $114 Wells Fargo: $130 Goldman Sachs: $87 Mizuho: $110 Morgan Stanley: $80 Baird: $100 Airbnb is the 188 th largest company in the world with a market cap of $76.53 billion. You can trade Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ:ABNB) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD. Sources: Airbnb Inc., TradingView, MarketWatch, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap
Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) announced Q4 2022 financial results before the market open on Wall Street on Wednesday. The US company posted better-than-expected results for the quarter, beating both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts. Uber reported revenue of $8.607 billion (up by 47% year-over-year or 59% in constant currency) vs. $8.513 billion estimate.
EPS reported at $0.29 per share for the quarter. Analysts were expecting a loss per share of -$0.154. It’s the first time since Q4 2021 that the company has reported higher-than-expected EPS.
CEO and CFO commentary ''We ended 2022 with our strongest quarter ever, with robust demand and record margins,'' Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. ''Our global scale and unique platform advantages position us well to accelerate this momentum into 2023.'' "In 2022, we significantly exceeded our profitability outlook, with an incremental margin of 10%,'' Nelson Chai, CFO of the company added. ''Our outlook for a Gross Bookings and Adjusted EBITDA step up in Q1 builds on that progress, and sets us up for yet another record year." Stock reaction Share price of Uber rose by around 2% on Wednesday and was trading at around $35.91 a share – the highest level since April 2022. Stock performance 1 month: +26.77% 3 months: +35.37% Year-to-date: +45.33% 1 year: -10.57% Uber stock price targets Wedbush: $38 Needham: $54 Wolfe Research: $42 Wells Fargo: $46 Piper Sandler: $33 Truist Securities: $60 Cowen & Co.: $70 Morgan Stanley: $54 Mizuho: $46 UBS: $36 Barclays: $54 Uber is the 204 th largest company in the world with a market cap of $71.61 billion. You can trade Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD.
Sources: Uber Technologies Inc., TradingView, MarketWatch, MetaTrader 5, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap
US indices were down today as Jerome Powell indicated that the Federal Reserve is going to increase interest rates at a higher and faster rate than currently in place. US equities dropped after Powell’s speech. Ultimately the major indices ended relatively flat by the close of trading.
The Nasdaq closed down 0.40% after taking a breather from its recent buying momentum. The Dow Jones was dragged down by Boeing after a 737-plane crash in the mountainous Guangxi region in China. The Boeing share price saw a 5.74% drop on the opening before recovering a little to close the day down by 3.60%.
The S&P500 was also choppy as it reacted the Jerome Powell’s speech but finished flat. The FTSE 100 showed gains as an uplift in commodities supported the index with oil spiking. This provided strength for the UK’s biggest oil companies BP and Shell with both rising by 3%.
The FTSE ended the day up 0.51% whilst the DAX was down 0.60%. Commodities Brent Crude Oil made a powerful move overnight rising 7.91% to 116.33 USD. This came as European Union officials debated whether to place sanctions on Russia's lucrative energy sector to pressure the country over its invasion of Ukraine.
An embargo on Russian oil similar to what the USA and the UK have done may have drastic implications for the EU in which 40% of its gas is imported from Russia. Natural gas prices also continue to remain in the upper end of their recent price range. Gold remains near its recent support levels ending the day at 1929 USD per ounce.
Cryptocurrency Bitcoin had a choppy day as BTC/USD ended flat overall. Ethereum was the better performer closing the day with a 1.87% rise. The ETH/USD continues to hold just below the $3000 resistance level.
FOREX The EUR/USD continued to be rejected at the $1.08 level after the speech from the Federal Reserve spurred USD strength. The AUD/USD has not been able to break through its recent highs of $0.74 as it proved a flat day for the pair after the previous day’s strong moves. The USD has continued its strong move against the JPY as it climbed another 0.27%.
The JPY has continued to struggle against most other currencies. The GBP/JPY has closed in on its recent area of support 157.00-158.00 JPY as seen below as it looks to potentially break out.