Strait of Hormuz, major news! Trump speaks out! Gold, silver, sudden shift! Crude oil rallies!

The Strait of Hormuz has once again made headlines.

On the US stock market, the three major indices closed mixed: the Dow fell 0.07% to 47,706.51 points, the S&P 500 declined 0.21% to 6,781.48, and the Nasdaq rose 0.01% to 22,697.1.

Chinese concept stocks generally rose, with the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index up 1.96% and the China Tech Dragon Index up 5.12%. Popular Chinese stocks included NIO, which surged over 15%, China Internet Plus, which increased more than 14%, Futu Holdings up over 7%, Hillview Metal Mining up more than 6%, GDS Holdings up over 6%, Jinko Energy up more than 5%, and iQIYI, which rose over 5%.

In gold and silver markets, both assets opened slightly higher in the morning but turned red later.

Crude oil experienced a rebound. As of the time of writing, WTI crude oil briefly surged over 5%, but has since pulled back.

In terms of news, important updates have emerged regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command announced that US forces struck 16 Iranian mine-laying ships near the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump posted on social media stating that if Iran deploys mines in the Strait of Hormuz, they must be removed immediately, or they will face “unprecedented military consequences.” Trump also warned that the US would use similar technology and missile capabilities used against drug traffickers to quickly destroy any ships attempting to lay mines in the Strait.

Earlier reports indicated that US intelligence agencies had begun to detect signs that Iran was taking steps to deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press conference that the US Navy is currently not escorting any oil tankers or other ships through the Strait of Hormuz. She also stated that this “of course” remains an option, and if necessary, President Trump “will absolutely use it at the appropriate time.”