US trade data day and political resonance

US President Trump’s remarks yesterday were a compilation of recent social media posts in both tone and content. While there were signals of an imminent US retreat from the Gulf, the aggressive remarks shaped market perceptions. US escalation (however short-lived) risks being met with an Iranian response, threatening more infrastructure damage in the Gulf. That could extend the economic damage of the war well beyond any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.