FOUR FINGERS NEWS
The News, Neat.
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
FROM THE EDITOR · July 7, 2026
Day 130. Yesterday I called it a truce with the hard part deferred. This morning a Qatari gas tanker is burning off Oman and a Saudi crude carrier is limping home, both hit by Iranian missiles in the same strait everyone swore was calming down. So much for the week of quiet. Doha called its round ‘positive progress’ — progress that apparently includes setting ships on fire. Trump says make a deal or he finishes the job; Tehran says no talks while he’s threatening. And the Dow closed above 53,000 for the first time, the S&P a whisker from its own record — Wall Street pricing in a peace the Strait of Hormuz plainly hasn’t signed. I’ll keep saying it: paper’s paper until the ships stop burning. This morning they’re burning. Neat, and make it a double.
— T.
The Run Down
HORMUZ
Projectile Sets LNG Tanker Ablaze as It Exits Hormuz
An LNG carrier caught fire early Tuesday after a projectile struck its port side near Limah, off Oman’s coast, as it tried to leave the Strait of Hormuz; Iranian state TV said the ship ignored warnings but Tehran claimed no direct responsibility.
MARKETS
Dow Clears 53,000 for the First Time as Chips Lead
Wall Street came back from the long weekend at fresh records Monday, the Dow closing above 53,000 for the first time on a semiconductor rally while crude sits near four-month lows.
WORLD CUP
Belgium Ends the U.S. Cup Run, 4–1, in Seattle
Belgium knocked the co-hosts out of their own World Cup on Monday night at Lumen Field, 4–1, with Charles De Ketelaere scoring twice; Spain edged Portugal and meets Belgium in the quarters.
PACIFIC
China Fires a Sub-Launched Missile Into the Pacific on NATO’s Eve
China test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile from a Jin-class boat toward waters west of the Solomon Islands, hours before NATO’s summit opened in Ankara; Australia and Japan objected.
GAZA
Hamas Moves to Dissolve Its Gaza Government
Hamas said it will disband the emergency committee that has run Gaza and hand civil authority to a U.S.-backed technocratic panel based in Cairo; that body has yet to enter Gaza over Israeli objections.
SENATE
McMorrow Quits Michigan’s Democratic Senate Primary
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow ended her bid weeks before the Aug. 4 primary, narrowing the race for Gary Peters’ open seat to Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.
CUBA
Cuba’s Grid Collapses, Blacking Out the Island
Cuba’s power grid failed Monday, cutting electricity to roughly 10 million people — the island’s third national blackout of 2026, deepened after a U.S. operation seized Venezuela’s Maduro and choked off Cuba’s oil.
MARINERS
Mariners Edge Pittsburgh 1–0 to Take the Series
Seattle scratched out a 1–0 win over the Pirates on Monday to close out the series, backing a lone run with a shutout.
