US-Iran Tensions Escalate as Trump Deadline Looms Amid Economic Data Release

Global markets are on high alert as the deadline set by President Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz approaches at 20:00 ET. The threat of severe military escalation is currently overshadowing secondary economic data, driving a significant shift toward safe-haven assets like Gold and the Japanese Yen. Concurrently, final PMI readings for the Eurozone and the UK are expected to reflect a challenging mix of accelerating inflation and slowing economic growth. Investors are also closely monitoring scheduled speeches from Federal Reserve officials Goolsbee and Jefferson for further policy direction. These geopolitical risks, combined with stagflationary signals in Europe, are putting downward pressure on equities while boosting WTI crude oil prices. The potential disruption of global energy transit routes remains the primary catalyst for market volatility today.