00:00Crude prices moved slightly lower today after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that starting today, ships will be assisted
00:06in leaving the Strait of Hormuz under a military plan called Project Freedom.
00:10Iran, however, has already rejected the proposal.
00:13The U.S. Central Command says the operation will involve guided missile destroyers, over 100 aircraft, and 15,000 service
00:20members.
00:21Much hinges on unblocking this bottleneck with hundreds of tankers and cargo ships still stranded across the Gulf.
00:27Despite the geopolitical tension, global stock markets are showing resilience.
00:32In Asian share trading overnight, Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.4%.
00:37Strong buying of tech stocks pushed South Korea's KOSPI higher by 3.8%, while Taiwan's DAIX surged 4.2%.
00:46Markets in mainland China and Japan remain closed for holidays.
00:50On Wall Street, the S&P 500 climbed 0.3% to another all-time high, with 84% of
00:57companies that have reported so far topping analysts' estimates.
01:01However, the oil sector remains volatile.
01:04While soaring crude prices helped ExxonMobil and Chevron's profits, both saw their stock prices fall as oil regressed on Friday.
01:12In early Monday currency trading, the dollar rose against the Japanese yen, while the euro fell slightly.
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