Guardians of the Strait? The New Reality in Hormuz | What's Going on With Shipping?

risis, Sal Mercogliano reports from the Irish Sea on the rapidly escalating situation in the Middle East. From the announcement of the "Guardians of the Strait" and proposed cargo tolls to the reappearance of Houthi interdictions in the Bab el-Mandeb, the maritime landscape is shifting once again. We break down the latest tanker attacks, the impact of new blockades on Saudi Arabian ports, and why the brief guise of a ceasefire has completely vanished.

YouTube Music

14 hours ago

YouTube Music

Key Points:

⚓️Guardians of the Strait: Analysis of the latest administration statements regarding U.S. control and the controversial proposal for a 20% cargo toll. ⚓️Houthi Blockade: The Houthis have announced a blockade targeting ships serviced in Saudi Arabian ports, causing immediate U-turns in the Gulf of Aden. ⚓️Tanker Attacks: A recap of the ninth and tenth nights of strikes, including reports of abandoned Kuwaiti and Greek tankers following live-fire incidents. ⚓️Infrastructure Strikes: Details on U.S. strikes against Iranian bases and the use of sea drones in recent combat operations. ⚓️Seafarer Impact: The rising death toll among merchant mariners and the desperate measures ship owners are taking to maintain crews in high-risk zones. Contact What's Going on With Shipping via: Patreon: www.patreon.com/wgowshipping Twitter: @mercoglianos Bluesky: @mercoglianos.bsky.social Facebook: @wgowshipping Email: mercoglianosal@gmail.com 00:00 - Introduction & Live from the Irish Sea 01:03 - Top Stories: Houthi Blockade & Shipping Impacts 02:49 - Strait of Hormuz Traffic Lockup & US Strikes 03:31 - Tankers Abandoned & Havoc in the Region 04:36 - Review of Recent Events (Since July 12th) 05:51 - "Guardians of the Strait" & Proposed Tolls 06:53 - Search for Missing Crew & Resumed Blockade 07:54 - Missile Attacks on VLCCs & Safety Warnings 09:02 - Seafarer Death Toll & US Sea Drones 10:26 - Jones Act Waivers & Tanker Fleet Needs 11:41 - International Reactions & Houthi Strategies 13:16 - Limitations of Securing the Strait 14:40 - Alternative Oil Routes & Iraqi Logistics 15:47 - Summary of the Crisis & Final Thoughts gCaptain www.gcaptain.com Lloyd's List www.lloydslist.com

YouTube

NDTV Profitan hour ago

Are Red Sea, Hormuz & Black Sea Becoming A Global Economic Threat?

Uploaded: Jul 23, 2026

How Kalshi's pitching Wall Street --- Prediction markets planted their flag on Main Street. Now they’re targeting Wall Street | Business Insider

Kalshi is pitching Wall Street by positioning its prediction market platform as a precise risk-management and hedging tool, alongside offering direct data on future economic and tech trends. [1, 2, 3, 4] 

Dailymotion

Insider · 22 hours ago

Inside Kalshi's plan to attract Wall Street traders

Uploaded: Jul 22, 2026

The Pitch and Strategy

Direct Hedging: Rather than betting on sports or entertainment, Kalshi pitches institutional firms on using customizable event contracts to offload specific macroeconomic and corporate risks more directly than traditional financial hedges allow

BI THE BIG STORY A new hedging hopeful  Prediction markets planted their flag on Main Street. Now they’re targeting Wall Street.  Yesterday afternoon, I spoke with Andy Ross, Kalshi’s head of institutional, about the platform’s push to get institutional investors on board.  The 40-minute conversation covered how Ross is trying to woo bigger players onto the platform, the impact it can have on their businesses, and how he navigates concerns about prediction markets. I think it’s worth a watch, but I’m biased.  In the meantime, here are some of the big takeaways. Same platform, new pitch: Kalshi isn’t going after Wall Street because it thinks finance firms want to place wagers on the NFL or NBA. The value prop for institutions is about creating an easier way to hedge themselves.  Helping companies and investors offload risk has been a staple of the financial markets forever. But Kalshi’s pitch is that traditional hedges aren’t always direct. The customizable nature of the contracts means prediction markets can offer a more direct line to the risk you’re trying to protect against. A new data source: Kalshi’s current relevance to Wall Street is arguably more as a data source than a trading venue. With millions of users weighing in on a wide range of topics, there’s a lot of valuable information to digest.  The crowdsourced approach to markets also yields highly accurate data, according to Ross. He cited an internal analysis that found some of Kalshi’s markets were right 93% of the time a week out from an event. It’s also a great way to get a foot in the door for Ross. "I can't tell you the number of conversations that I've had, which is, ‘Give me the data. Great, right, wow, that's amazing. Explain how I can trade now tomorrow please,’” he told me.

Illustration by Davide Bonaldo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Liquidity is key: Kalshi doesn’t take a side in any of its markets, meaning it needs to constantly find buyers and sellers of an outcome. That gets harder as trades get larger and more customized. These days, the process can be a bit manual. Ross told me about how he personally called a market maker to help a hedge fund set up a trade on US CPI. But he’s confident the liquidity will come as Kalshi continues to build out all the “pipes and plumbing.” The key benchmark he’s watching: banks coming on the platform.  “They're doing it because their clients want to. There's palpable demand around that. That's the thing that I think is the key sort of trigger point that I'm looking at,” he said. Addressing criticism: Gambling. Insider trading. A regulatory gray area. These are some of the common criticisms levied against prediction markets. They’re also things Wall Street typically tries to avoid.  Ross said those questions come up a lot on the Street, but his response is direct.  “If you want to try and do some market manipulation, insider trading on Kalshi, we will find you. We know where you are, and you'll go to jail,” he said.  (I told Ross he was giving off Liam Neeson “Taken” vibes. We’ll see if Kalshi books Neeson for its next ad campaign.)  Sports: The biggest driver of Kalshi’s business is sports. Meanwhile, Wall Street is plowing money into sports ownership. So, as Kalshi looks to grow its institutional base, is there a good fit on the field (or the owners' box)?  In some ways, sports owners using Kalshi makes a lot of sense. Sports are big business, with their media rights fetching top dollar. Having a channel to hedge risk could give owners more flexibility.  Ross said he’s not personally had conversations with officials at professional leagues. He also acknowledged that the incentives can be tricky. "Neither do you want to be able to say, right, I'm going to put a hedge on that I'm going to get relegated, and then you sell all your players, right? That's the concern,” Ross said. Are you an executive interested in joining a BI Live Q&A? Drop me a line at ddefrancesco@businessinsider.com. Watch the full interview

Reality Check / Truth Social

 

Facebook

an hour ago

Donald Trump CONTINUES TO LIE about his reckless and costly war of choice in Iran. Americans want lower costs, not another forever war.

BEAST DIGEST: Trump, 80, Threatens to Cry if He Doesn’t Get His Way

Trump, 80, Threatens to Cry if He Doesn’t Get His Way By Harry Thompson The octogenarian president is acting like a 2-year-old. •  Read More » Darline Graham Pleads With MAGA After Pro-Choice Move Busted By Janna Brancolini Lindsey Graham’s sister is still somewhat of an enigma to her colleagues and constituents. •  Read More » Trump Exposes Revenge Plot Against Longtime Nemesis By Will Neal Democrats ridiculed the move as “vindictive” and “laughably weak.” •  Read More »

This Derm-Loved Mineral SPF Delivers a 24-Hour Hydration Boost 2-IN-1 EltaMD’s bestselling UV Daily Hydration+ Sunscreen is a multitasking complexion hero for those of us with dry, crepey skin.

Vance Takes Revenge on Secret Service For Leaking His Diva Demands  By Leigh Kimmins All the details on the vice president’s ludicrous demands were handed to the media. •  Read More » Why Trump’s Ballroom Bunker Proves He’s Terrified: Historian By Vic Verbalaitis, The Daily Beast Podcast There are striking similarities between the president and past autocrats, a top historian has revealed. •  Read More » Trump Humiliated by Record Exodus of Top Officials By Cameron Adams The White House is no longer bothering to nominate their replacements. •  Read More » Advertisement Bill O’Reilly Tells Trump, 80, He Needs to Take a Month Off By Leigh Kimmins One of the president’s oldest media allies is suggesting he take a breather. •  Read More » Scathing Triple Trump Voters Turn on the President By Cameron Adams One MAGA supporter said she had “angst” over a key issue. •  Read More » Kimmel’s Show Reveals the Truth About Trump’s Cognitive Exam By Meera Navlakha Colman Domingo tries to separate fact from fiction. •  Read More » MAGA-Curious CBS Boss Hit With New Crisis By Erkki Forster Bari Weiss’s makeover of the network is not paying off. •  Read More » McConnell’s Hometown Newspaper Publishes Brutal Pre-Obituary By William Vaillancourt The aging senator will be known for two things, a Louisville columnist writes. •  Read More » Trump Thirsts Over His Eighth War in Unlikely Country By Annabella Rosciglione The Trump administration is reportedly torn over whether to go forward with the strikes. •  Read More » Why ‘Legally Blonde’ Prequel Star Welcomes the Backlash By Obsessed: The Podcast, Dana Herrnstadt The actress who plays the mother of “Elle” tells “Obsessed: The Podcast” why she thinks even negative fan reactions can be a good thing. •  Read More »