{"id":64699,"date":"2026-07-13T08:38:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-shaken-by-us-iran-escalation-and-tech-sector-volatility\/64699\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T08:38:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:38:16","slug":"global-markets-shaken-by-us-iran-escalation-and-tech-sector-volatility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-shaken-by-us-iran-escalation-and-tech-sector-volatility\/64699\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets Shaken by US-Iran Escalation and Tech Sector Volatility"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Geopolitical Tensions Surge<\/strong>: President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will take control of the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, demanding reimbursement for acting as the &quot;guardian angel&quot; of the waterway following a series of military strikes against Iranian targets.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tech Sector Sell-off<\/strong>: Global chip stocks plummeted, led by a record <strong>15.4% one-day drop<\/strong> for SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/SKHY\">SKHY<\/a>) in Seoul, triggering circuit breakers and a <strong>9% decline<\/strong> in the KOSPI index.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Intel\u2019s European Expansion<\/strong>: Intel (<a href=\"\/stock\/INTC\">INTC<\/a>) announced a <strong>\u20ac5 billion ($5.7 billion)<\/strong> investment in its Leixlip, Ireland facility to boost production of AI-focused Xeon 6 processors by 2027.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hyperscaler Capex Forecast<\/strong>: Morgan Stanley projects capital expenditure for major hyperscalers including <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/MSFT\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"18\" title=\"Stock: MSFT\">Microsoft<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/MSFT\">MSFT<\/a>) and Amazon (<a href=\"\/stock\/AMZN\">AMZN<\/a>) will reach <strong>$1.4 trillion by 2028<\/strong>, driven by the AI infrastructure race.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Legal Battle in AI<\/strong>: Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI and two former employees, alleging the <strong>theft of trade secrets<\/strong> related to unreleased hardware technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Geopolitical Turmoil Hits Energy and Shipping<\/h2>\n<p>In a high-stakes escalation, President Donald Trump stated in a Fox News interview that the U.S. &quot;hit Iran very hard last night&quot; and will move to control the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>. Trump asserted that the U.S. should be <strong>reimbursed<\/strong> for securing the vital oil transit route, characterizing the move as becoming the &quot;guardian&quot; of the strait.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian officials responded defiantly, with senior adviser Mohammad Mokhber stating that retreating from the waterway &quot;has no place in the minds of any Iranian.&quot; The rhetoric follows reports of an <strong>11-hour meeting<\/strong> between U.S. and Iranian negotiators that failed to resolve a broken deal, leading to renewed military friction and volatility in global oil markets.<\/p>\n<h2>Semiconductor Rout and AI Investment<\/h2>\n<p>The semiconductor industry faced a &quot;perfect storm&quot; as <strong>SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/SKHY\">SKHY<\/a>)<\/strong> shares tumbled over 15% in South Korea, despite a successful Nasdaq debut last week. The sell-off was fueled by earnings concerns and a broader rotation out of AI-related shares, weighing heavily on <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/NVDA\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"15\" title=\"stock: NVDA\">Nvidia<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) and Samsung Electronics (<a href=\"\/stock\/stock\/SSNLF\">SSNLF<\/a>), the latter of which fell over <strong>10%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Amidst the market turbulence, Intel (<a href=\"\/stock\/INTC\">INTC<\/a>) confirmed a <strong>\u20ac5 billion<\/strong> expansion in Ireland, intended to create hundreds of high-tech jobs and secure Europe\u2019s semiconductor supply chain. Simultaneously, Samsung Electronics announced it has begun preparations to manufacture <strong>Tesla\u2019s (<a href=\"\/stock\/TSLA\">TSLA<\/a>) AI5 chip<\/strong> using its advanced <strong>2nm process<\/strong> at its Taylor, Texas plant, aiming for mass production by mid-2027.<\/p>\n<h2>Corporate Maneuvers and Legal Conflicts<\/h2>\n<p>Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) has turned from partner to adversary in its relationship with OpenAI, filing a lawsuit alleging that former employees took <strong>confidential engineering drawings<\/strong> and product specs to the AI firm. The legal filing claims OpenAI systematically poached Apple talent to jumpstart its own secret hardware initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>In the hospitality sector, MGM Resorts (<a href=\"\/stock\/MGM\">MGM<\/a>) shares rose <strong>3%<\/strong> on reports that the company is negotiating a potential takeover deal with Barry Diller\u2019s <strong>People Inc. (<a href=\"\/stock\/PPLI\">PPLI<\/a>)<\/strong>. Diller, who already owns 26% of MGM, has reportedly offered <strong>$48.30 per share<\/strong> to take the casino giant private, valuing the company at approximately <strong>$12.4 billion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Geopolitical Tensions Surge: President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will take control of the Strait of Hormuz, demanding 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