Another Iran escalation whipsaws markets
Good morning, and happy Groundhog Day*. The dollar is strengthening and Treasury yields are rising as diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz falter once again. Iran and the United States said last week they had reached a tentative deal to halt the war, but nothing has been signed and events on the ground moved in the opposite direction overnight: Iranian missiles damaged Kuwait’s airport and targeted Bahrain, attacks on commercial shipping resumed, US forces carried out strikes in response, and Israel continued its assault on Lebanese towns despite an American-brokered ceasefire. Both global crude benchmarks are up more...