The Kobeissi Letter Profile picture
Apr 20 12 tweets 5 min read Read on X
It's official:

The world is now experiencing its biggest energy crisis in history, with 600 MILLION barrels of lost oil supply.

US gas prices are up +47% since December and inflation is nearing 4% in a similar path to the 1970s.

What happens next? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
Today marks day 51 of the Iran War.

With ~600 million barrels of lost oil supply, ~$50 billion ​worth of oil has been removed from the global market.

This is the same amount of fuel it takes to run the world's international shipping industry for 4 months.

Truly unprecedented. Image
And, the US actually has it good.

Jet fuel prices in Europe surged over +100% amid the Iran War's disruption.

New data shows Europe has just 6 weeks worth of jet fuel remailing with many flights set to be cancelled.

Europe is urging people to work from home to conserve fuel. Image
Asia has it the worst as they are heavily reliant on the Strait of Hormuz.

~45% of all oil and condensate imported by Asia flows through Hormuz, the highest of any region.

Asia relies on Hormuz for ~30% of gasoline and naphtha imports, ~9% of diesel, and ~5% of jet fuel. Image
The question now becomes: what does this mean for the economy over the long-run?

While energy inflation accounts for ~7% of US CPI Inflation, it also indirectly flows into many other categories.

New data shows that US energy inflation hit a +287% annualized rate last month. Image
Now, US CPI inflation has risen to 3.3%, the highest since February 2024.

Our models suggest US CPI inflation will top 3.5% by as soon as next month.

As a result, the UMich Consumer Sentiment Index fell to its lowest level on record, at 47.6.

The global economy has shifted. Image
As a result, Fed interest rate cuts are being priced-out.

There is now just a 22% chance of a Fed rate cut by July, down from 90%+ before the Iran War began.

The BASE CASE in market-implied futures shows no rate cuts in 2026.

Just months ago, markets saw 3+ cuts this year. Image
Sum this all up and we believe our view of "own assets or be left behind" has only strengthened.

The US is dealing with compounding inflation; 3%+ inflation on top of 4+ years of already high inflation.

This is why Wall Street is buying equities at the fastest pace since 2018. Image
Take a look at this chart:

Real wealth of the top 0.001% of US households has grown +3,500% since 1976.

Real wealth of the top 0.01% and 0.1% has surged +2,200% and +1,200%, respectively.

The average household? Just+200% growth.

Asset owners are the only winners. Image
Furthermore, amid the Iran War volatility, US AI and technology companies have only gotten bigger.

The Nasdaq 100's Forward P/E ratio has fallen from ~29x to ~22x in months, BELOW the 10Y average.

Nvidia and Microsoft are now HALF as cheap as Walmart on a Forward P/E basis. Image
There has arguably never been a market with more disruption than now.

For investors, this means more opportunity to capitalize on volatility.

Want to see how we are approaching it?

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

thekobeissiletter.com/subscribe
Lastly, our view of "own assets or be left behind" is gaining popularity.

This is exactly why the S&P 500 just added +$7.3 TRILLION in 14 trading days.

The gap in the K-shaped US economy is only widening.

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

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More from @KobeissiLetter

Mar 19
Global oil markets are out of control:

As the Iran War closes week 3, US oil prices are trading at $97/barrel, up +76% since December.

Meanwhile, physical oil prices in Oman are up to a RECORD $167/barrel, a +72% PREMIUM.

What is happening? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
This chart compares Brent (global oil) to WTI Crude (US oil).

When the Iran War began on February 28th, US oil prices surged toward $120/barrel while Brent lagged, trading at a ~20% discount to WTI Crude.

However, just two weeks later, and Brent hit a +15% premium to US oil. Image
In fact, Brent's premium over WTI Crude is trading at its widest margin in 11+ years.

And, it gets worse. Oman's oil prices are at $167, Dubai's at $137, and Brent at $113, while WTI Crude sits at $97, per Zerohedge.

Never have we seen such a massive divergence, but why? Image
Read 12 tweets
Feb 28
The Strait of Hormuz situation:

Reuters is now reporting that Iran is notifying vessels that it is CLOSING the Strait of Hormuz.

If officially closed, 20+ MILLION barrels of oil PER DAY will be impacted, or 20% of global supply.

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, ships in the Strait of Hormuz are now receiving warnings.

As of 12:30 PM ET, the US has recommended ships avoid the Strait of Hormuz.

In their 2025 analysis, JP Morgan described this as their worst case scenario in an Israel-Iran war. Image
Read 13 tweets
Feb 20
It's official:

In one of the most anticipated rulings in decades, the US Supreme Court has ruled President Trump's "emergency" tariffs ILLEGAL.

This exposes the Trump Admin to a potential $175+ BILLION in "tariff refunds."

What happens next? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
After 5+ months, the Supreme Court's ruling was released.

The Court ruled IEEPA does NOT authorize the President to impose tariffs.

IEEPA is the law Trump used to impose tariffs, which gives him "special economic powers" during a national emergency involving foreign threats. Image
The market's initial reaction has been positive, but not that strong.

The S&P 500 rose nearly +1% and silver prices are up +5%, but that's a fairly muted reaction to such a big ruling.

But, why?

As we explain below: there is much more to this ruling than the headline. Image
Read 13 tweets
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

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