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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.
Bitcoin has recently tested the lows of its price range that it reached in the immediate aftermath of the FTX crisis. A long opportunity has been brought about after price bounced off these lows near $15,863. The hourly chart shows a potential good risk reward entry.
The trigger for the entry is not just the fact that the price has bounced off the support zone but is also the strong bullish candle stick at the support level. The selling was absorbed at the support zone by the buyers and could not close below the wicks of either candle as seen by the length of the wicks. Furthermore, the above average volume for these candles indicated that the selling was exhausted and that the buyers were willing to take on the supply.
For this bounce to continue, a strong green candle that closes above the opening price of most recent red candlestick will hopefully support the breakout at $16,204. As seen on the chart, an obvious target is the $17,000 level which is the top of the recent price range.
JD.com Inc. (NASDAQ: JD, HKEX: 9618) reported its latest earnings results for the three months that ended September 30, 2022, on Friday. The Chinese e-commerce company had a solid quarter – beating revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts. JD reported revenue of $34.373 billion (up by 11.4% from the previous quarter) vs. $34.145 billion estimate.
EPS reported at $0.885 per share vs. $0.685 per share expected. ''JD.com's relentless focus on user experience, cost and efficiency has allowed us to continuously expand our user base while delivering profitable growth,'' Sandy Xu, CFO of the company said in a press release. ''Our pre-emptive efforts earlier this year to promote operating efficiency and financial discipline have proven timely and effective given the ongoing external challenges. We will continue to focus on capturing the vast opportunity presented by China's retail market by striving to be the partner of choice for China's consumers and enterprises,'' Xu added. Share of JD were down by around 3% on Friday at $56.01 a share.
Stock performance 1 month: +33.14% 3 month: +60% Year-to-date: -19.91% 1 year: -38.70% JD.com price targets Barclays: $59 Citigroup: $85 Goldman Sachs: $89 Benchmark: $106 JP Morgan: $58 Mizuho: $90 HSBC: $91 Morgan Stanley: $85 JD.com is the 146 th largest company in the world with a market cap of $89.10 billion. You can trade JD.com Inc. (NASDAQ: JD, HKEX: 9618) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD. Sources: JD.com Inc., TradingView, MarketWatch, MetaTrader 5, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap
Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA, HKEX: 9988) announced the latest financial results on Thursday. The Chinese e-commerce giant reported revenue of $29.124 billion (up by 3% year-over-year), falling slightly short of $29.288 billion expected. Earnings per share topped analyst estimates for the quarter at $1.816 per share (an increase of 15% year-over-year) vs. $1.683 earnings per share estimate. ''We delivered solid results this past quarter despite ongoing macro environment challenges, which is a testament to our resilient business model and unmatched customer value proposition,'' Daniel Zhang, Chairman and CEO of the company said in a press release. ''The uncertainties of the global landscape have only reinforced our resolve to focus on building capacity that will yield sustainable, high-quality growth for our customers and our own business over the long term.
The trust of our shareholders has enabled Alibaba’s development over the past 23 years, and we are committed to improving shareholder return as we continue to strengthen the foundations for Alibaba’s future,'' Zhang added. Alibaba also announced an increase to its share buyback program: ''We have continued to take a holistic approach to improve operating efficiency and cost optimization throughout the company that resulted in adjusted EBITA growth of 29% year-over-year. With strong net cash position and cash flow generation, as of November 16, 2022, we had repurchased approximately US$18 billion of our shares under our existing US$25 billion share repurchase program.
In addition, our board has approved to upsize the share repurchase program by another US$15 billion and extend the program to the end of fiscal year 2025.'' Shares of Alibaba rose on Thursday – up by around 8% at $84.52 a share. Stock performance 1 month: +18.47% 3 month: -5.97% Year-to-date: -28.18% 1 year: -40.58% Alibaba price targets Truist Securities: $125 Barclays: $114 Morgan Stanley: $110 B of A Securities: $155 Bernstein: $130 Benchmark: $205 JP Morgan: $140 HSBC: $141 Citigroup: $172 Alibaba is the 37 th largest company in the world with a market cap of $227.68 billion. You can trade Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA, HKEX: 9988) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD.
Sources: Alibaba Group Holding Limited, TradingView, MarketWatch, MetaTrader 5, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) reported its latest financial results after the market close in the US on Wednesday. The US technology giant beat revenue estimates but fell short of earnings per share (EPS) expectations for the quarter. The company reported revenue of $5.931 billion (down by 17% year-over-year) vs. $5.781 billion estimate.
EPS reported at $0.58 per share (down by 50% year-over-year) vs. $0.70 per share. ''We are quickly adapting to the macro environment, correcting inventory levels, and paving the way for new products,'' founder and CEO of NVIDIA, Jensen Huang said after posting the latest results. ''NVIDIA’s pioneering work in accelerated computing is more vital than ever. Limited by physics, general purpose computing has slowed to a crawl, just as AI demands more computing. Accelerated computing lets companies achieve orders-of-magnitude increases in productivity while saving money and the environment,'' Huang added.
NVIDIA expects revenue of around $6 billion in Q4. The stock was down by 4.54% on Wednesday at $159.09. The share price rose by around 2% in after-hours following the results.
Stock performance 1 month: +33.32% 3 month: -12.37% Year-to-date: -45.37% 1 year: -45.09% NVIDIA price targets Credit Suisse: $210 Oppenheimer: $225 Barclays: $140 Deutsche Bank: $140 Citigroup: $210 BMO Capital: $210 Mizuho: $205 Stifel: $165 Needham: $170 NVIDIA is the 14 th largest company in the world with a market cap of $400.98 billion. You can trade NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD. Sources: NVIDIA Corporation, TradingView, MarketWatch, MetaTrader 5, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap
The EUR has been on a ‘recovery rally’ since it fell below parity level with USD earlier this year. With inflationary pressures potentially easing across the world the USD has finally taken a breath. The currency which has been haven for many market participants in dealing with the high volatility finally saw a dip after weaker than expected US CPI figures last week.
Since this time the USD Index or DXY has fallen by nearly 4.5% which is a significant drop. This has had an overall positive impact on currencies that were struggling such as the AUD, JPY and of course the EUR. Whilst the EUR has provided a positive move in recent weeks and days there is still some geopolitical concerns especially with the news of a missile killing two citizens in Poland earlier this week.
Technical Analysis The weekly chart shows that price is currently testing a long terms resistance level at 1.0352. This level acted as support for almost 7 years prior to being broken and therefore has become a significant level. In addition, the price is also fighting against the 50-week moving average which is at 1.0588.
The 50 week moving averages is also a short-term long target for long trades. Looking more closely at the daily chart, the price is showing an important signal that it has not done since May 2020. The price is testing the 200-day moving average.
If it can break through it may represent a bullish signal. The last time the price broke through this level it managed to go from 1.10 to 1.23. This time around, the currency pair is having to fight inflationary pressures which may create a headwind.
The price action is still showing a potential price target of 1.06 in the near term and if it can break through the 200-day moving average and a longer-term target of 1.15.
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) announced its latest financial results before the market open in the US on Tuesday. World’s largest supermarket chain reported total revenue of $152.8 billion for the quarter (up by 8.7% year-over-year) vs. $147.668 billion expected. Earnings per share reported at $1.50 per share (up by 3.4% year-over-year) vs. $1.321 per share estimate. ''We had a good quarter with strong top-line growth globally led by Walmart and Sam’s Club U.S., along with Flipkart and Walmex.
Walmart U.S. continued to gain market share in grocery, helped by unit growth in our food business. We significantly improved our inventory position in Q3, and we’ll continue to make progress as we end the year. From The Big Billion Days in India, through our Deals for Days events in the U.S. and a Thanksgiving meal that will cost the same as last year, we’re here to help make this an affordable and special time for families around the world.
We have an amazing group of associates that make all this happen, and I want to say thank you,'' President and CEO of Walmart, Doug McMillon said in a press release. Walmart raised its full-year outlook after its strong Q3 results and announced a $20 billion share buyback program. Shares of Walmart were up by 6.54% on Tuesday at $147.14 a share.
Stock performance 1 month: +10.69% 3 month: +54% Year-to-date: +62% 1 year: +71% Walmart price targets Jefferies: $165 Keybanc: $155 Morgan Stanley: $150 DA Davidson: $163 Cowen & Co.: $165 Stifel: $149 Oppenheimer: $155 Credit Suisse: $145 Deutsche Bank: $162 Citigroup: $162 Walmart is the 14 th largest company in the world with a market cap of $402.87 billion. You can trade Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD. Sources: Walmart Inc., TradingView, MetaTrader 5, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap