The United States launched an airstrike on an Iranian military facility and imposed new sanctions to prevent Tehran from profiting from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the fragility of recent diplomatic momentum.
A U.S. official described the attacks as defensive and said the United States intends to uphold the ceasefire agreement that began last month. The official stated that U.S. Central Command forces shot down four Iranian single-use attack drones that had previously targeted a commercial vessel, and also conducted strikes on another Iranian drone launch site near Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz.
To make matters worse, Kuwait stated it is dealing with threats from hostile missiles and drones. The country’s military posted on social media: “Any explosions heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting enemy targets.”
Several hours ago, President Donald Trump asserted that no country could control this vital waterway, highlighting a key obstacle to resolving the conflict.
“This is international waters,” Trump said at a White House cabinet meeting. “The strait will be open to everyone,” and the United States will “protect it.”
On Thursday morning, global crude oil benchmark Brent crude rose 2% to $96.15 per barrel. Asian stock markets retreated from record highs as investors weighed conflicting signals regarding the prospects of reaching an agreement.
Technical Analysis:
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Gold: With prices failing to reclaim the key levels of 4530/4550, bullish sentiment remains weak. Additionally, after clearing liquidity downward, sufficient buying interest has not emerged. Therefore, the short-term price outlook is bearish. Watch for a renewed downtrend signal following a rebound to the 4410/4420 area today. For detailed positions, please consult the plugin.
(Gold 15-minute chart)
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Nasdaq: Yesterday, our plugin alerted us to a breakout above the blue level, where a buy stop order could yield a profit-to-loss ratio of approximately 4x. We also mentioned in last night’s live stream the risk of price retracing due to low liquidity at lower levels. Today, we are monitoring for rebound signals following the liquidity sweep around 29,500/29,600. For detailed positions, please consult the plugin.
(NASDAQ 15-minute chart)
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Crude oil: The price dropped to around 90.30 yesterday, allowing our short positions to achieve a profit-to-loss ratio of nearly 5 times. Currently, the price has rebounded back to around 95, and we can once again consider a shorting strategy following a pullback after testing liquidity on the upside. For detailed entry levels, please consult the plugin.
(Crude Oil 15-minute Chart)
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Today’s key financial data and events to watch:
20:30 U.S. Core PCE Price Index Year-on-Year for April
20:55 William Dudley, FOMC permanent voting member and President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, delivered a keynote speech at a conference organized by the Central Bank of Iceland.
