Oil prices swung wildly overnight as traders braced for prolonged Strait of Hormuz closure. Brent crude surged more than 60% in March marking the biggest monthly gain dating back to 1988. Gulf states now consider new pipelines to bypass the strait despite huge cost and complexity.
Prediction markets showed bets on $120 oil surging as the Iran conflict entered week four. The global energy rationing wave expanded from Bangladesh to Zambia as governments cut fuel demand. World's top energy traders got wrongfooted by the scale of the crisis.
OXY Occidental and FANG Diamondback topped options sentiment charts as traders piled into energy calls. The crisis triggered defensive rotation across both regions.
Stefan Persson grabbed headlines with his $147M HM B H&M buying spree executed March 26 and 27. The Swedish retail chairman added 7.2M shares showing rare conviction amid fashion pressure. European insiders demonstrated buying appetite while US executives fled systematically.
GRND Grindr absorbed the sharpest short attack this week. SI jumped 4 points in seven days to 25.3% showing accelerating bear conviction. WIX Wix.com saw SI spike 3.9 points weekly to 12.8% as tech rotation intensified.
Asia markets rose Friday on Hormuz reopening hopes. The dollar strengthened on renewed conflict concerns while gold dropped on higher rate expectations. Chinese government bonds emerged as the lone war haven with yields down marginally since conflict started.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
