Trump Weighs Broader Iran Military Options; Bitcoin Choppy; U.S. Stocks Advance

Huo Xing Finance reported that on July 16, U.S. officials said President Trump, after a brief meeting with several senior advisers, is inclined to broaden U.S. military operations against Iran. Options under discussion include stepping up air strikes, sending ground forces to seize Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz, and striking a hardened site suspected of hosting covert nuclear activity. On July 15, U.S. forces imposed a maritime blockade on Iran in the Arabian Gulf, intercepting an oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port; the vessel was not carrying cargo. An Iranian military spokesperson said reopening the waterway requires the United States to comply with the memorandum of understanding and enforce "Iranian regulations" in the Strait of Hormuz. In U.S. Wednesday trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.29%, the S&P 500 gained 0.38%, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.6%, according to BIT (bit.com) data. Apple (AAPL.O) climbed 4% and ASML (ASML.O) rose 2%. SK Hynix (SKHY.O) slid 9%, SanDisk (SNDK.O) fell 8%, and Intel (INTC.O) dropped 4.4%. Bitcoin was last at $64,847, down 0.08% over the past 24 hours. Total liquidations across the network over the same period reached $303 million, including $112 million in long liquidations and $191 million in short liquidations.