THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026 — Iran and U.S. sign peace deal, Strait of Hormuz to reopen immediately; Marvell taps TSMC 1.4nm for next-gen AI chips; Microsoft makes big AI inroads in China selling OpenAI m

Geopolitics: The Iran-U.S. peace deal, mediated by Pakistan, eliminates a major oil supply disruption risk as the Strait of Hormuz reopens. Crude markets face a swift repricing of the geopolitical risk premium that’s lingered for months. Tech/AI: Marvell ($MRVL) to use TSMC’s ($TSM) next-gen 1.4nm node to stay ahead in the AI data-center race. Meanwhile, Microsoft ($MSFT) is quietly scaling OpenAI model sales in China, sidestepping chip export curbs to capture enterprise AI demand. China/HK: Bangladesh’s new EV incentives give BYD ($1211.HK) a fresh growth lever in South Asia. Samsung ($005930.KS) is fielding rising chip production requests from BYD, Google, and AMD — signaling strong non-memory demand across EVs and AI. Investor takeaway: The Hormuz reopening deflates oil supply fears and could cool inflation expectations, favoring risk assets. The AI arms race intensifies as TSMC’s 1.4nm extends the hardware lead, while Microsoft’s China push highlights cross-border AI monetizatio

Geopolitics: The Iran-U.S. peace deal, mediated by Pakistan, eliminates a major oil supply disruption risk as the Strait of Hormuz reopens. Crude markets face a swift repricing of the geopolitical risk premium that’s lingered for months.