MARKET DIPS: Dow Falls 400 as Oil Surges Above $100 for First Time Since July...

Oil's path above $100 a barrel typically signals market anxiety about global supply. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's traded oil passes daily, sits in one of the planet's most volatile geopolitical zones—any escalation there ripples through energy prices within hours. Stock markets like the Dow tend to sell off when oil spikes sharply because higher fuel costs squeeze corporate profits and consumer spending across the economy. Investors were already pricing in months of elevated energy prices based on the conflict dynamics, making the combination of geopolitical risk plus supply-chain math a potent formula for a broad market retreat.