If the shock doesn’t stick: Mapping out de-escalation

By: Kriti Gupta and Nick Roberts

Markets seem positioned for a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz. That’s clear in energy prices, rates and the concentration of equity leadership. But if the path shifts – even marginally – toward de‑escalation, the adjustment could be swift and underappreciated. A lower oil price directly feeds into falling yields, easier financial conditions and a short-term rotation into parts of the market that investors have largely ignored.

The all-clear signal

It’s become a familiar pattern: An Iran-related headline crosses the wire. Oil prices spike. Inflation fears resurface. Interest rates drift higher. And investors crowd into the same trades – energy, defensive assets and mega-cap growth stocks. Part of the bid is grounded in fundamentals, but some of it is increasingly momentum-driven – and that’s when the narrative starts to stretch.

Investors are pricing in persistence: Persistent geopolitical risk. Persistent inflation pressure. Persistent concentration in equity leadership. That view rests on one key assumption – that the current shock lasts. What if it doesn’t?

And what does an all-clear sign look like in a world that’s bracing for further impact?

Hopes of a peace deal continue to grow as more Washington officials and their international partners take a more active role in negotiation and mediation efforts. On the surface, it seems to be yielding some progress. While agreement on key issues like nuclear enrichment remains distant, it may not matter for investors trying to price a resolution. The green light is tied to the number of ships making their way through the Strait of Hormuz and restoring global trade flows. 

A plausible near-term path could involve a temporary extension of ceasefire conditions alongside a gradual resumption of transit. That would matter quickly. Over 100 million barrels remain effectively trapped in the region, which could re-enter global markets in short order. Expectations of that eventuality are already seeping into niche markets.

The feedback loop

A gradual reopening of transit routes could bring oil prices lower. But it could also go further than that and compress the geopolitical premium embedded across financial markets, ease physical shortages and shift the macro narrative in a way that investors may not yet be positioned for.

One-fifth of global oil supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz. When flows are disrupted, energy markets react immediately. But when supply resumes, prices can normalize just as quickly. And that has ripple effects, namely in the bond market. The transmission mechanism is straightforward: Energy prices feed into inflation, inflation expectations feed into policy odds and policy expectations affect bond yields.

An unwind in the oil price can push bond yields lower globally as investors re-evaluate the need for interest rate hikes. It could alleviate pressure on supply chains ­– an increasingly acute problem – and decrease input costs on the most energy-intensive industries. This could in turn catalyze a rotation back into some of the lagging corners of the equity market, prompting a sudden shift in stock market leadership – at least temporarily.

This isn’t unprecedented. Markets often overshoot on both sides – pricing worst-case scenarios first, then unwinding them once reality proves more stable than feared.

Bracing for rotation

While the blistering rally in the S&P 500 continues, under the hood, the gains remain concentrated in trades related to artificial intelligence (AI). Semiconductors, memory and computer stocks continue to drive returns, with some parts of the market trading at levels near double where they were at the start of the year, creating a wide dispersion in performance within the stock market.

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

In many parts of the AI buildout, demand continues to outstrip supply. Take a look at earnings growth. S&P 500 earnings estimates in the first quarter stood at around 13% on a quarterly basis at the start of the reporting season. Corporate earnings not only beat those estimates but jumped to over 28%. Excluding one-time gains, the figure is nearly 20%. Even software – the sector that’s perhaps seen the most disruption – didn’t post any negative revisions. In fact, it was revised higher despite the first-quarter volatility.

Setting itself apart from the technological boom at the start of the century, this is not the late 1990s – earnings are real and they’re accelerating sharply. But with the outperformance of momentum sectors, which are posting some of the most powerful rallies seen over the past 15 years, comes crowded trades. 

What’s unloved?

Cyclical sectors like financials, consumer discretionary, consumer staples and real estate investment trusts (REITs) remain relatively muted. A reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and ensuing decline in both the oil price and bond yields could shift flows toward these segments, at least in the short term, while resetting capital flows that have been all in on the AI trade. Cue the rotation.

It’s a similar picture internationally. European equities have underperformed while experiencing the greatest term of trade shock and stand to benefit from a short-term rotation – especially in sectors most exposed to the energy disruption, like airlines and retail. The change could even benefit banks and miners in the short term.

Investors are bracing for more of the same. But the de-escalation trade is ultimately about rotation. If the shock fades, the unwind could be as swift as the initial pricing of risk – before markets settle back into their longer-term trends.

All market and economic data as of 05/29/2026 are sourced from Bloomberg Finance L.P. and FactSet unless otherwise stated.

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