Geopolitics

Indian equities opened sharply lower, with the Sensex down 524.12 points and the Nifty 50 off 145.20 points. Brent crude rose 1.88% to USD 84.86 a barrel while gold gained 0.34% to USD 4,015.28 an ounce, and Dow Jones Futures fell 167.87 points. The selloff was widely linked to escalating Middle East military tensions, hawkish signals from global central banks and key U.S. inflation data approaching, which has pushed investors away from risk assets and added a geopolitical premium to commodities, according to ANI.

On July 14, 2026, markets turned cautious after a fresh escalation between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, with Washington saying it plans to impose shipping fees and neither side backing down. Brent crude jumped 9% in one session and briefly touched $86.60 a barrel, heightening worries about potential supply disruptions. India’s Sensex and Nifty fell 0.6% at the open, while the rupee weakened 33 paise to 95.95 per dollar.

U.S. stocks fell after President Donald Trump said he would reinstate a blockade on Iranian ports, escalating U.S.-Iran hostilities and weighing on risk appetite. Weekend airstrikes heightened investor concern that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could be disrupted. WTI crude settled up 9.4%, lifting energy shares, while technology stocks led declines and the Nasdaq dropped 1.55%. Chipmakers were hit hardest, with the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index sliding as Intel, Marvell and SanDisk fell 6.1%–12.6%.

Rising U.S.-Iran tensions have weighed on risk sentiment after Iran warned it could target U.S. military facilities in the Persian Gulf and the U.S. carried out a new round of airstrikes. Iran said it retaliated against U.S. positions in Jordan, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain and claimed it had shut the Strait of Hormuz. Bitcoin fell 1.5% and IonQ shares dropped sharply as risk assets sold off. On the technical side, IonQ has fallen below key moving averages, with resistance at $42.00 and support at $38.00.

U.S. missile strikes over the weekend hit Iranian air-defense systems and coastal radar, and Iran responded with attacks on targets in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, as well as vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump said the U.S. is reinstating an Iranian blockade and will bar Iranian ships from using the Strait of Hormuz. WTI crude oil surged more than 4% to a seven-week high, while tech shares dragged U.S. equities lower, with the Nasdaq 100 down 1.12%. South Korea’s KOSPI slumped more than 8% as chipmakers sold off, amplifying the risk-off move across global markets.

Escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran have pushed tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz down to its lowest level in two months. Shipping data show several tankers have been switching off AIS tracking signals, making vessel movements harder to monitor. The data also point to at least three ship-to-ship crude transfers reported off Oman’s coast, suggesting more efforts to bypass usual routes. The strait handles about 20% of global seaborne crude exports, and the drop in transits is being treated as a tangible supply disruption rather than mere geopolitical noise.

SanDisk (SNDK) fell 5.42% to $1812.01 in Monday premarket trading as escalating geopolitical tensions fueled a risk-off tone, weighing on high-beta tech stocks. Crude oil climbed more than 3% to around $74 per barrel, reflecting concerns over potential supply disruptions. Technical indicators still point to an upward medium- to long-term trend, though near-term momentum has softened with RSI at 52.38 in neutral territory.

On July 13, renewed military exchanges between the US and Iran raised concerns over energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing international crude oil prices higher. Over the same period, spot gold fell 1.3% to USD 4,067.94 per ounce and silver slipped 2.32% to USD 58.47 per ounce. In Delhi, gold dropped Rs 1,500 to Rs 1.47 lakh per 10 grams, while silver fell Rs 2,000 to Rs 2.35 lakh per kilogram.

U.S.-Iran relations have worsened amid rising geopolitical tensions. TSMC reported that its second-quarter revenue rose 36% year over year. Meta said it will add $40 billion in investment in Louisiana. The escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions is a sudden geopolitical risk event that could disrupt energy markets and global risk sentiment.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.92% to 67,242.73, while the broader Topix slipped 0.71% to 4,007.49. The decline came as Middle East tensions pushed oil prices up more than 4% and kept energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz under threat. Investors also weighed the start of Japan’s earnings season and concerns that higher costs could pressure corporate outlooks, with chip-related names and Kioxia among the biggest drags.