As 2024 inches to it's last breath...we've been witnesses to events in this year which nobody have ever imagined. Contemplating most people who followed this year's happenings it was just the pre-nups to what is to unfold especially in 2025.
What many don't realize starting from 2022 events happened in systematic manner to not raise panic and make "Wars" a generalized event...so nobody will question what is still building up!
We saw space warfare...nobody questioned it, we saw direct attacks on Nuclear Power plants...nobody questioned it, we saw use of conventional Nuclear weapons nobody questioned it, heck we even saw deep sea warfare...nobody questioned it..
2025 is no party as most already know it's a year of Conflicts & which country holds the Global position!
What most of us will be watching is - Will China trigger the Timeline with it's Invasion of Taiwan...which most of us know practically with a 75% certainity that it will very likely happen in the year 2025...the question is now only the time & place!!
🪖 🇺🇸 👨💻 Selective Service System wants to wargame the draft
Fearing that its new plans for the U.S. military draft pool won’t work, the Selective Service System wants to create a computer simulation to test scenarios for its national mobilization.
Since 1940, men within a designated age range have been required to register with the Selective Service. But under a proposed rule, men aged 18 to 26 will be automatically registered starting Dec. 19, 2026. The Selective Service System will work off data contained in other federal databases.
The computer simulation will explore multiple areas. These include evaluating staffing and resource requirements, comparing mobilization and police scenarios and assessing the operational impact of surge conditions. In addition, the system will “identify throughput risks, delays, and bottlenecks” and support executive planning and reporting obligations.
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🛢 This oil crisis is now considerably more dangerous than it was back in March while market sentiment remains complacent.
• Strait of Hormuz closed again, with less dark fleet shuttling than ten days ago;
• Iranian crude exports effectively blockaded;
• Bab el Mandeb has become a new front in the Iran-US conflict, removing additional Saudi barrels;
• Less diplomatic room for manoeuvre than before the MoU;
• Kazakh crude exports via CPC terminal halted following Ukraine’s vessel strike campaign in the Black Sea;
• 1.5mbpd of Russian product exports missing, with significant duration due to recurring Ukraine drone strikes;
• Global crude inventories 1.5bn barrels lower than on 28 Feb;
• US product inventories remain lowish while its refinery system is maxed out;
• Brent back to a US$6 front-month backwardation.
We are rapidly moving from a products crisis - which is here to stay - back into a crude and product crisis.
Expect fresh announcements of SPR releases.
🔗 Alexander Stahel
🌆 Market News Digest
[Jul 24, 2026, 07:00–16:00 EST]
🔥 Top Stories
• Middle East escalation risks spike — reports of strikes/explosions across Iran, Saudi, Kuwait, Yemen; tanker attacks and Hormuz-Bab el-Mandeb tensions lifted oil volatility and safe-haven flows.
• Trump weighs Iran options, pushes trade pressure — said he’s speaking with Iran, hasn’t decided on strikes, while also threatening major EU tariffs/301 probe and fresh Canada/Mexico tariffs.
• US growth data stays firm — flash PMIs beat estimates and June new-home sales topped forecasts, keeping recession fears in check.
• US stocks mixed at the close — Dow outperformed, Nasdaq lagged as AI/mega-cap weakness and geopolitics pressured tech.
⛽ Oil & Energy
• Crude swung lower despite conflict headlines — WTI settled at $89.31, Brent at $96.78 after missile/tanker reports, with renewed Red Sea/Hormuz risk.
• Tanker reroutes and strikes — TORM re-routed via Suez/southern Africa; reports also pointed to damage on a Saudi ...