{"id":65470,"date":"2026-07-27T09:08:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-oil-tensions-rise-as-china-hits-semiconductor-milestone-and-us-durable-goods-miss-estimates\/65470\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T09:08:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:08:23","slug":"middle-east-oil-tensions-rise-as-china-hits-semiconductor-milestone-and-us-durable-goods-miss-estimates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-oil-tensions-rise-as-china-hits-semiconductor-milestone-and-us-durable-goods-miss-estimates\/65470\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East Oil Tensions Rise as China Hits Semiconductor Milestone and US Durable Goods Miss Estimates"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-oil-tensions-rise-as-china-hits-semiconductor-milestone-and-us-durable-goods-miss-estimates\/65470\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-oil-tensions-rise-as-china-hits-semiconductor-milestone-and-us-durable-goods-miss-estimates\/65470\/#Geopolitical_Escalation_in_the_Middle_East\" >Geopolitical Escalation in the Middle East<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-oil-tensions-rise-as-china-hits-semiconductor-milestone-and-us-durable-goods-miss-estimates\/65470\/#Chinas_Semiconductor_Breakthrough\" >China\u2019s Semiconductor Breakthrough<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-oil-tensions-rise-as-china-hits-semiconductor-milestone-and-us-durable-goods-miss-estimates\/65470\/#US_Economic_Data_and_Market_Movers\" >US Economic Data and Market Movers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-oil-tensions-rise-as-china-hits-semiconductor-milestone-and-us-durable-goods-miss-estimates\/65470\/#Corporate_Strategy_and_AI_Expansion\" >Corporate Strategy and AI Expansion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/middle-east-oil-tensions-rise-as-china-hits-semiconductor-milestone-and-us-durable-goods-miss-estimates\/65470\/#US_Political_Pressure\" >US Political Pressure<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Geopolitical instability spikes<\/strong> as Houthi drones strike Saudi oil infrastructure and Saudi Arabia reserves the right to respond to attacks from Iran-allied groups in Iraq.<\/li>\n<li><strong>China achieves a major semiconductor breakthrough<\/strong>, beginning mass production of homegrown <strong>DUV lithography tools<\/strong>, signaling a significant advance in local chip-making independence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>US Durable Goods Orders significantly missed expectations<\/strong> in June, coming in at <strong>0.3%<\/strong> against an estimated <strong>1.8%<\/strong>, though non-defense capital goods shipments showed strength.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/NVDA\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"15\" title=\"stock: NVDA\">Nvidia<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>)<\/strong> is reportedly in talks to provide a <strong>$250 billion financing backstop<\/strong> for a massive <strong>10GW OpenAI data center<\/strong> project in Ohio.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Swiss National Bank (SNB)<\/strong> signaled a dovish long-term outlook, expecting to maintain interest rates at <strong>zero until the end of 2027<\/strong> barring major inflationary shocks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Geopolitical_Escalation_in_the_Middle_East\"><\/span>Geopolitical Escalation in the Middle East<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Energy markets are on high alert following reports from a Houthi military spokesperson that drones struck &quot;sensitive points&quot; in the transport of <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">crude oil<\/a> from <strong>Eastern Saudi Arabia to Yanbu<\/strong>. The attack targets the critical East-West pipeline, which allows Saudi crude to bypass the volatile Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n<p>Simultaneously, the <strong>Saudi Foreign Ministry<\/strong> issued a statement asserting its right to respond after separate attacks originated from <strong>armed groups in Iraq<\/strong> allied with Iran. These developments have heightened fears of a broader regional conflict affecting global energy supplies and transport routes.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chinas_Semiconductor_Breakthrough\"><\/span>China\u2019s Semiconductor Breakthrough<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In a major blow to Western export restrictions, China has reportedly begun mass-producing its own <strong>Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) chipmaking tools<\/strong>. This advancement, reported by <em>The Information<\/em>, suggests that the Chinese local industry is successfully navigating around US-led sanctions to secure its domestic supply chain.<\/p>\n<p>The move marks a critical milestone for China&#39;s goal of technological self-sufficiency. While DUV is not as advanced as Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) technology, mass production capabilities allow for the manufacturing of a wide range of essential chips for the automotive and consumer electronics sectors.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"US_Economic_Data_and_Market_Movers\"><\/span>US Economic Data and Market Movers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>US Department of Commerce<\/strong> reported that <strong>Durable Goods Orders<\/strong> rose just <strong>0.3%<\/strong> in June, a sharp miss compared to the <strong>1.8%<\/strong> consensus estimate. However, <strong>Capital Goods Shipments (Non-defense ex-air)<\/strong>\u2014a key proxy for business investment\u2014grew by <strong>1.9%<\/strong>, significantly beating the <strong>0.6%<\/strong> forecast.<\/p>\n<p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/movers\/premarket\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Premarket Movers\">pre-market<\/a>, <strong>Capricor Therapeutics (<a href=\"\/stock\/CAPR\">CAPR<\/a>)<\/strong> plummeted <strong>67.7%<\/strong> after its Phase 3 HOPE-3 study failed to meet primary efficacy endpoints. Conversely, <strong>FibroGen (<a href=\"\/stock\/FBRX\">FBRX<\/a>)<\/strong> surged <strong>39.6%<\/strong> following news that <strong>Argenx (<a href=\"\/stock\/ARGX\">ARGX<\/a>)<\/strong> will acquire the company for <strong>$77 per share<\/strong> in cash.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Corporate_Strategy_and_AI_Expansion\"><\/span>Corporate Strategy and AI Expansion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock\/NVDA\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"15\" title=\"stock: NVDA\">Nvidia<\/a> (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>)<\/strong> is reportedly discussing a massive <strong>$250 billion financing backstop<\/strong> for <strong>OpenAI\u2019s<\/strong> planned <strong>10GW data center<\/strong> in Ohio. This unprecedented scale of infrastructure highlights the intensifying capital requirements of the global AI race.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <strong>HSBC (<a href=\"\/stock\/HSBC\">HSBC<\/a>)<\/strong> announced plans to hire over <strong>100 AI experts<\/strong> in Singapore and will open a global AI center there later this year. In the automotive sector, <strong>Porsche (<a href=\"\/stock\/P911\">P911<\/a>)<\/strong> has agreed to a &quot;socially responsible&quot; reduction of <strong>5,000 positions<\/strong> by 2035 as the industry continues to grapple with the transition to electric vehicles.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"US_Political_Pressure\"><\/span>US Political Pressure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Former President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> took to Truth Social to pressure Senate Leadership, specifically <strong>John Thune<\/strong>, to block the Senate from adjourning until <strong>The Save America Act<\/strong> is passed. Trump also called for the <strong>termination of the filibuster<\/strong>, arguing that Republicans must use the tactic to pass their legislative agenda, including the budget and debt ceiling measures.<\/p>\n<p>Trump warned that &quot;stupidity always brings losing and death,&quot; criticizing current Senate leadership for not being as aggressive as the Democratic party. The comments come as the &quot;ever-looming&quot; debt ceiling remains a central point of contention in Washington.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Geopolitical instability spikes as Houthi drones strike Saudi oil infrastructure and Saudi Arabia reserves the right to respond [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5012],"tags":[16986,633,20879,1947,20880,4212,4824,5027,6011,6274,9771,10885],"class_list":["post-65470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","tag-macro","tag-nvda","tag-capr","tag-oil","tag-fbrx","tag-rklb","tag-geopolitics","tag-semiconductors","tag-p911","tag-snb","tag-euv","tag-duv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}