US Equity Indexes Fall as Iran Plans to Control Hormuz Transit, Washington Mulls Restarting Operation Freedom

-- US equity indexes were lower ahead of Thursday's close as Iran reportedly set up an agency to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and Washington considered restarting defence operations to provide safe passage for ships stranded at the critical waterway.

The Nasdaq slid 0.3% to 25,755.7, after touching a record 26,036.38 intraday amid concern that a peace agreement between the US and Iran could be at risk. The S&P 500 retreated 0.4% to 7,336.5 after hitting an all-time high of 7,385.02 earlier in the session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6% to 49,592.8 in the final leg of trading.

Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through Hormuz, an Associated Press report cited a shipping data company Thursday. Tehran has laid out a new set of rules for vessels seeking to transit the chokepoint through which about 20% of global crude oil flows, according to a document seen by CNN.

Entitled "Vessel Information Declaration," the document is an application form issued by Iran's newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, and it must be completed by all transiting vessels to ensure safe passage, CNN reported. The document was shared with CNN by the Lloyds List and another shipping industry source who wished to remain anonymous, according to the news report.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is looking to restart an operation to guide commercial ships through Hormuz with naval and air support as early as this week, after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait lifted restrictions on US access to their bases and airspaces, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing Pentagon officials.

The US is still awaiting Iran's response to its peace proposal. The two countries are said to be working with mediators to formulate a one-page framework to restart talks aimed at ending the war and reopening Hormuz.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures added 0.7% to $95.75, while Brent crude futures declined 0.2% to $101.03. Both WTI and Brent futures are off session lows of more than 3% each.

US Natural Gas Update: Futures Rise on Small Storage Injection

US natural gas futures erased early losses and maintained higher prices in after-hours trade on Thursday after government data showed a smaller-than-expected increase in domestic gas inventories, triggering short covering and reinforcing expectations that the spring supply-demand balance may be tightening modestly.Both the front-month Henry Hub futures and the continuous contract rose 1.90% to $2.782 per million British thermal units.The US Energy Information Administration said natural gas inventories for the week ended May 1 rose by 63 billion cubic feet, below analyst expectations for a 72-80 Bcf build and under the five-year average increase of 77 Bcf for the week.The bullish storage surprise prompted buying in front-month contracts after futures had traded lower ahead of the report, Barchart said.Despite the smaller injection, supply levels remain ample. US gas inventories were 2.8% above year-ago levels and 6.7% above the five-year seasonal average.The Energy Buyers Guide said the market will likely be focused on "whether this storage miss was a one-off or a harbinger of a more durable shift in the underlying fundamental balance".Analysts at Gelber & Associates said the price lift "reinforced the idea that the spring balance is not quite as loose as consensus had assumed," the firm said, adding that the market still viewed the move as a near-term adjustment rather than the start of a sustained rally, noting that elevated inventories continue to limit upside potential for winter contracts."The rally is doing more to firm up summer risk than to meaningfully reprice next winter when storage remains above the five-year average," the firm said.Analysts also pointed to competing forces in the broader market, with strong LNG exports supporting prices while robust domestic production continues to weigh on sentiment.According to Barchart, citing data from BNEF, US lower-48 dry gas production on Thursday was estimated at 110.9 Bcf per day, up 4.5% from a year earlier. Demand across the lower 48 states was estimated at 71.0 Bcf/d, up 10.2% year over year.Flows to US LNG export terminals were estimated at 17.7 Bcf/d, down 5.9% from the prior week due to maintenance slowdowns.Gelber said the market can pop on a bullish storage surprise but still "needs either sustained heat, a more persistent slowdown in supply growth, or a string of smaller injections to make the move stick beyond the near-term contracts."

US Equity Indexes Fall as Iran Plans to Control Hormuz Transit, Washington Mulls Restarting Operation Freedom

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US Natural Gas Update: Futures Rise on Small Storage Injection
US natural gas futures erased early losses and maintained higher prices in after-hours trade on Thursday after government data showed a smaller-than-expected increase in domestic gas inventories, triggering short covering and reinforcing expectations that the spring supply-demand balance may be tightening modestly.Both the front-month Henry Hub futures and the continuous contract rose 1.90% to $2.782 per million British thermal units.The US Energy Information Administration said natural gas inventories for the week ended May 1 rose by 63 billion cubic feet, below analyst expectations for a 72-80 Bcf build and under the five-year average increase of 77 Bcf for the week.The bullish storage surprise prompted buying in front-month contracts after futures had traded lower ahead of the report, Barchart said.Despite the smaller injection, supply levels remain ample. US gas inventories were 2.8% above year-ago levels and 6.7% above the five-year seasonal average.The Energy Buyers Guide said the market will likely be focused on "whether this storage miss was a one-off or a harbinger of a more durable shift in the underlying fundamental balance".Analysts at Gelber & Associates said the price lift "reinforced the idea that the spring balance is not quite as loose as consensus had assumed," the firm said, adding that the market still viewed the move as a near-term adjustment rather than the start of a sustained rally, noting that elevated inventories continue to limit upside potential for winter contracts."The rally is doing more to firm up summer risk than to meaningfully reprice next winter when storage remains above the five-year average," the firm said.Analysts also pointed to competing forces in the broader market, with strong LNG exports supporting prices while robust domestic production continues to weigh on sentiment.According to Barchart, citing data from BNEF, US lower-48 dry gas production on Thursday was estimated at 110.9 Bcf per day, up 4.5% from a year earlier. Demand across the lower 48 states was estimated at 71.0 Bcf/d, up 10.2% year over year.Flows to US LNG export terminals were estimated at 17.7 Bcf/d, down 5.9% from the prior week due to maintenance slowdowns.Gelber said the market can pop on a bullish storage surprise but still "needs either sustained heat, a more persistent slowdown in supply growth, or a string of smaller injections to make the move stick beyond the near-term contracts."

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