🚨 Morning Market Pulse: May 12 – Oil Shocks, Crypto Inflows, and Macro Jitters 1/ Oil markets are on edge after President Trump rejected Iran's latest response to a U.S.-led peace proposal, calling the terms "unacceptable." Brent crude spiked 4% to $105.50/barrel before settling near $103.50. The core worry remains the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, now facing serious disruption. 💥 2/ In a bid to stabilize energy markets, the Trump administration announced a loan of 53.3 million barrels from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to energy firms. This move aims to cushion supply shocks from the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran tensions and the Hormuz bottleneck. 🛢️ 3/ OPEC's April production plummeted to a 20-year low of 20.04 million barrels per day, down 830,000 bpd, per a Reuters survey. The primary culprit? Disrupted exports via Hormuz, with Kuwait hit hardest, while Saudi Arabia and Iraq also cut output. 📉 4/ All eyes are now on the upcoming U.S. CPI data. Markets fear a reacceleration of inflation as surging energy prices from the Iran conflict feed through. Headline CPI could approach 4%, making core inflation the critical metric for the Fed's next move. 📊 5/ Digital asset investment products saw a massive $857.9 million inflow last week, marking six consecutive weeks of inflows. Total assets under management now sit at ~$160 billion. Bitcoin led with $706.1M, followed by Ethereum ($77.1M), Solana ($47.6M), and XRP ($39.6M). 🚀 6/ Bitcoin is holding above $81,000, but remains trapped in a macro tug-of-war. The balance between ETF inflows, clearer U.S. crypto legislation hopes, and geopolitical pressure from Iran and oil prices keeps BTC in a tight range. The Block notes BTC stayed above $81K as Brent crossed $104. 📈 7/ Michael Saylor clarified that if Strategy sells 1 BTC to fund dividends, its capital structure could allow it to buy back 10–20 BTC. The goal remains increasing net Bitcoin holdings, not exiting the strategy. 🧠...