The Kobeissi Letter Profile picture
Jun 22, 2025 13 tweets 5 min read Read on X
MAJOR news from Iran:

Iran's parliament officially approves CLOSING the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since 1972.

If approved by Iran's top security body, shipments of 20+ MILLION barrels of oil PER DAY will be impacted.

What's next? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
The Strait of Hormuz, between Oman and Iran, connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

This body of water controls ~20% of the world’s petroleum liquids consumption.

In other words, ONE FIFTH of global oil consumption flows through here EVERY DAY. Image
After US strikes on Iran last night, 50+ large oil tankers were scrambling to leave the Strait of Hormuz.

Markets have been closed, but an immediate drop in supply is expected to send prices higher.

JP Morgan described this as their worst case scenario in the Israel-Iran war. Image
In fact, according to JP Morgan estimates, a closure of the Strait of Hormuz could send oil prices to $120-$130/barrel.

This would imply a spike in US CPI inflation to ~5%.

The last time we saw US inflation at 5% was in March 2023, when the Fed was aggressively hiking rates. Image
As we recently outlined in a thread, energy prices tie DIRECTLY into CPI inflation.

According to a Fed study, every $10 rally in oil prices has the ability to increase inflation by 20 bps.

Oil prices are already up ~$20 from their April lows, potentially adding ~40 bps to CPI. Image
Below is a breakdown of the origin and destination of oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

In 2024, exports of crude and condensate from Saudi Arabia accounted for 38% of total Hormuz crude flows (5.5 million b/d).

Even the US and EU receive oil from this passage. Image
The next question is, why not take a different route?

Hormuz is the only sea outlet for oil-producing countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and much of Saudi Arabia's production.

This means these countries have no OTHER direct path other than pipelines, which are limited. Image
Estimates show that ~6.5-7.5 million barrels per day of production could be rerouted through pipelines.

But, this is still a ~65% drop in production, or ~13% of global supply.

Some estimates show oil prices rising as high as $150-$200/barrel if a prolonged closure occurs. Image
And, oil markets have already been partially pricing this in.

As seen below, shipments in the Hormuz Strait have been steadily declining since June 13th.

However, this is nowhere near a shutdown which is by far the worst case scenario.

Rate hikes could return if this happens. Image
With that said, all eyes are now on Iran's top security council.

Even after their decision, final authority rests with Supreme Leader Khamenei, who must approve it.

If Iran formally votes to initiate the closure, then we will see the first legal closure in 50+ years.
Furthermore, Russia is adding more fuel to the geopolitical fire.

Medvedev this morning says a number of countries are ready to supply Iran with nuclear warheads.

He also claims that future production of Iranian nuclear weapons will continue as a result of US strikes. Image
This week, volatility in equities, commodities, and bonds will return.

Volatility in 2025 remains an exceptional opportunity for traders.

Want to see how we are trading it?

Subscribe to access our premium analysis and alerts at the link below:

thekobeissiletter.com/subscribe
Since the April 9th low, oil prices are up a massive +35%.

This does not account for this weekend's events, as markets are closed.

Inflation and geopolitical tensions will now be the primary market drivers.

Follow us @KobeissiLetter for real time analysis as this develops. Image

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More from @KobeissiLetter

Feb 5
What is happening in crypto?

Since October 10th, crypto markets are now down -50%, erasing $2.2 TRILLION worth of market cap.

Bitcoin has officially erased ALL of its post-election rally, now down -10% since Trump's election.

Why is it crashing? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
As of 8:00 AM ET today, Bitcoin has officially erased its post-election rally.

Yet, over the last 60 days, the fundamental picture for crypto is actually vastly unchanged.

This is why many investors are confused.

Why is crypto crashing if the fundamental picture is unchanged? Image
The answer to this question requires going back to October 10th.

The most recent TOP in crypto came on October 6th, just 4 days before the -$19.5 billion record liquidation.

Something structural appears to have shifted on October 10th.

And, markets never truly recovered. Image
Read 12 tweets
Jan 20
This is unprecedented:

If President Trump acquires Greenland and "controls" Venezuela, the US would gain control of 1.2 MILLION square miles of land.

This is ~42% larger than the Louisiana Purchase, the largest US acquisition ever.

What's next? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
It was an incredibly busy weekend.

On Saturday, Trump announced new 10% tariffs on eight European countries amid his push for Greenland.

Trump says these tariffs rise to 25% on June 1st.

They will remain until a deal is reached for "complete and total purchase of Greenland.” Image
The result was a series of escalations on the trade front and the EU threatening to retaliate.

Now, the EU Parliament is looking to end the 2025 US-EU trade deal.

Trump proceeded to double down, saying US acquiring Greenland is "imperative for national and world security." Image
Read 12 tweets
Jan 7
Trump is going after the US housing market:

President Trump just announced he is BANNING single-family home purchases by institutional investors.

Within minutes, Blackstone's stock erased as much as -$17 BILLION today.

What happens next? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
For years, investors have been upping purchases of single-family homes in the US.

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, investors saw purchases account for ~14% of transactions.

Now, that share is up to ~27% as the market has become increasingly unaffordable for buyers. Image
As a result, the median age of a first-time homebuyer in the US has surged to a record 40 years old.

This is up from a median age of 33 years old in 2021 and 29 in 1981.

But the question now becomes:

Is this the result of large institutional funds buying houses? Image
Read 12 tweets
Jan 4
The Venezuela plot thickens:

While Venezuela holds 303 BILLION barrels of oil reserves, much of this is HEAVY crude oil.

Texas and Louisiana also *happen* to have 6 of the LARGEST HEAVY crude oil refineries in the world.

What does this mean? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
In the early 2000s, Venezuela was a MUCH larger oil producer than the US.

In fact, Venezuela produced 3 TIMES as much oil, at nearly 3.3 million barrels per day.

By 2020, Venezuela's production had declined to just 900K/day, while the US hit 5 million/day.

This is key. Image
First, Venezuela has been heavily sanctioned by the US for years.

This resulted in old infrastructure, hindering the ability to extract HEAVY crude oil.

Heavy oil is far more expensive to extract than light crude.

This requires advanced techniques like steam injection. Image
Read 12 tweets
Dec 27, 2025
The Silver Situation:

Silver prices are now up a MASSIVE +175% in 2025 and set to post an 8-month win streak for first time since 1980.

Gold and silver have added a combined +$16 TRILLION in market cap this year ALONE.

What is happening? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
As you may know, our view for 2025 has been "own assets or be left behind."

This year, just about ALL assets have pushed higher.

But, as of late, gold and silver are leading the charge, now up 4 and 8 TIMES as much as the S&P 500 YTD.

It all started with a weaker US Dollar. Image
The US Dollar is currently down -9% YTD on track for its worst year since 2017.

As rate cuts kicked off, the US Dollar saw further weakness.

And, as President Trump's new Fed Chair is set to be announced, markets are pricing-in even more dovish Fed policy.

This is key. Image
Read 12 tweets
Dec 18, 2025
What just happened?

Core CPI inflation in the US just unexpectedly fell to 2.6%, its LOWEST level since March 2021.

3 months ago, inflation rose to a 6-month high, and last month, the October CPI inflation report was "cancelled."

What changed? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
At first glance, this looks like one of the best inflation reports in years.

The 40 bps drop in headline and core inflation is one of the largest YoY declines since 2023.

And, this comes as core inflation was expected to INCREASE.

It also comes at an interesting time. Image
Last month, the US cancelled the October CPI inflation report.

They cited "a lapse in appropriations" which prevented data from being collected during the government shutdown.

Why is this important?

It means the BLS had to make tons of assumptions for last month's data. Image
Read 12 tweets

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