Russia Threatens European Drone Factories Amid War Struggles
Former President of Russia warning Russia will bomb drone factories in Europe that supply Ukraine. Why? Russia is either losing the war or mightily struggling against Ukraine. And it is drones that are giving Russia fits. Welcome to the 21st century.

S&P 500 Near Record, 10‑Day Rally
The S&P 500 all-time closing high was January 27, 2026, at 6,78.60 As I write this, the S&P 500 is at 6955, less than 14 points away. The last six months of closing the S&P 500 is below. The green annotation...

TLT Trading Volume Hits Three-Year Low, Signaling Waning Bond Interest
TLT is a good proxy for bond market interest. And interest (volume) is now at a 3+ year low. * $TLT's volume today was 12.720M shares, the lowest daily volume since January 2023 (and this INCLUDES holidays) * The 5-day average volume...
US Oil Export Shift Requires Double Tanker Fleet, Years
Yes, it appears supertankers are heading to the US to get oil. The US exports 5 million barrels a day. So, the US has it. BUT.... The majority of Middle Eastern crude oil goes to Asia. That is a 21-day trip from the...

Trump Announces US Blockade of Hormuz Shipping
*TRUMP SAYS US WILL BEGIN BLOCKADE OF SHIPS TO AND FROM HORMUZ The shipping tourists can stop counting ships. It is now zero. https://t.co/1AQGj4UeEF
Energy Market Volatility Drives Vitol’s Costly Derivatives Losses
My working hypothesis is that the extreme volatility in the energy markets has largely led to losses. No one can make money when prices are soaring and collapse by $20 in a few days. --- https://t.co/S30XPZwVcq Vitol Group is reorganizing its derivatives team in...
US Destroyer Turns Back After Iran Threat via Pakistan
https://t.co/BrBdceeoER Interesting take by Bloomberg: A US destroyer was seen moving from Fujairah toward the waterway, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said separately. Iran’s armed forces monitored it and conveyed this to the US via Pakistani mediators, the news agency said. The US vessel...

Only Iranian-Linked Vessels Now Using the Strait
While everyone is focused on variations of this chart, the story reposted below might be more important. Essentially, only Iranian-linked ships are passing through the Strait; no one else. https://t.co/SvcJA7aoSC

Ceasefire Holds Two Days; Pakistan Talks Loom This Weekend
1/2 The ceasefire is holding for a second day. Now comes the talks in Pakistan this weekend. https://t.co/5eNrGiPQPH

SaaS Index Plummets 40% While S&P Slides 1%
This chart starts 10/28/25, the all-time high of the SaaS index (blue). SaaS is now -40%, while the SPX is -1% (black). Over the last 3 days, the power/fear of Mythos (repost) has SaaS at -11.46%, -5.15% today (bottom panel), the...

War Alone Doesn't Explain 74‑Year Low Consumer Confidence
The University of Michigan has been conducting a consumer confidence survey for 74 years (starting in 1952). The lowest reading in this history is the number out today for April 2026 at 47.6. The commentary from the University of Michigan attributes...

Iran's Drone Strikes Drop to Seven After Massive Launch
Iran has so far fired just 7 drones today, all at Bahrain, this after launching a monthly high of 149 missiles and drones yesterday. Will it last? Will it get ships moving? https://t.co/RNn07BEdGM

Shipping Stalls in Hormuz Until Iran Halts Attacks
The last plot is through 9:43 AM ET today (April 8th). It is on track to be the highest of the last month. Again, this has to go to zero for shipping to start moving through the Strait. Note that the uptick...

Iran Agrees to Ceasefire, Reopening Strait of Hormuz Soon
*IRAN ACCEPTS PAKISTAN'S TWO-WEEK CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL: NYT -- "ceasefire will come into force when Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz" -- So, this chart will be at zero tomorrow, and ships can start moving immediately? https://t.co/3VFPp2rq6x

May WTI Crude Surges to New High, Up 20%
May WTI crude oil futures are now at a new high and up 20% from Friday's low. https://t.co/rqftGvnrgP