Hormuz Shock Drives Oil to $109; Tech Bears Pile In

Macro Dominates: Oil Surges on Pipeline Attack

Oil hit $109 a barrel today after Saudi Arabia shut a key export pipeline following a drone strike. Riyadh pulled out of de-escalation talks over the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump posted on Truth Social saying oil is still flowing through the Strait. Markets aren't convinced. The FT flags that the Hormuz blockage, heading into winter, has traders worried about an extended supply outage. The Bank of England may now be forced to consider a rate rise. UK bond markets are pricing in the risk.

Tech Retreat: Nvidia and Chips Slide

NVDA and memory chip names fell sharply in morning New York trade. The pressure comes from two sides. First, Nvidia and PLTR both reportedly pulled back from Anthropic AI models over corporate data security fears. Second, NVDA's director-level insider sold $411M in shares last week — a big supply signal with no 10b5-1 plan declared. Meanwhile, MSFT's new AI safety rules triggered a surge in cybersecurity names. PANW, CRWD, and NET all caught a bid.

Short Sellers and Analysts Align on Cable

CHTR faces a double hit. Short interest sits at 10% of free float. Wolfe Research just cut the stock to Sell with a $118 target. Bears and analysts are pointing the same direction.

CHWY short interest hit 76.8% of free float — up 14 points in a week. LCID jumped to 49.7%. Both remain under heavy pressure.

Europe: Defence Rallies, Rates in Focus

European defence stocks rallied after Ukraine ratified a $105 billion EU loan deal. The oil spike is keeping BoE rate-cut hopes on ice. Investors now expect the BoE to hold this week but signal a possible hike later in 2026.