US equities fell on Monday as another sharp rise in oil prices weighed on sentiment, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping about 453 points and the S&P 500 also moving lower. Brent crude traded around $106–$107 per barrel and WTI held above $103, fueling concerns that higher energy costs could sustain inflation and pressure growth-sensitive sectors.

Brent crude has climbed beyond $110 per barrel as mounting tensions around Iran and disruption risks in the Strait of Hormuz drive fears of a deeper supply shock. The surge, which has added more than 30% to Brent in a matter of weeks, is pressuring global equities, bond markets and currencies as investors reassess inflation and growth outlooks. If prices remain elevated, scrutiny on central bank policy, energy costs and recession risks is expected to intensify.

On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 785 points, or 1.61%, to 47,399 amid a Brent crude surge to $90 and shipping disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Energy supply fears from the US-Iran conflict drove heavy losses in major financial, industrial, and healthcare names, while select energy stocks gained. Analysts' models now link further oil price spikes to additional Dow declines, with upcoming payroll data and potential Hormuz developments set to determine whether the index rebounds or slides toward lower levels.

The S&P 500's 2026 rally is under pressure as futures fell about 2% in early Tuesday trading while Brent crude briefly pushed toward 83 USD and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz intensified. The index had already slipped 0.5% to 6,860.71 on Monday as oil prices jumped more than 6% and volatility surged, forcing investors to reassess inflation, Federal Reserve expectations and sector positioning.

Oil futures spiked 10% after Iran's navy shut the Strait of Hormuz, raising alarm over a potential global supply disruption and sharply higher fuel costs. Analysts say U.S. gasoline, which was just under $3 per gallon days ago, could quickly move above $3.20-$3.30 on average and toward $4-$5 in some regions if the closure persists.

MARA Holdings said it booked a $1.71 billion net loss in Q4 2025 and a 6% revenue drop to $202.3 million as Bitcoin weakness drove a $1.5 billion revaluation. Shares rose about 12% pre-market while the firm outlined an AI and high-performance computing pivot, including a joint venture targeting over 1 gigawatt of IT capacity.

Bitcoin is trading close to $66,900 within a 24‑hour band of about $65,800 to $68,400, while derivatives markets show heavy long liquidations near the $66,000 support zone. At the World Liberty Financial Forum in Mar‑a‑Lago, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon disclosed he holds a small amount of Bitcoin, as attendees also highlighted a tokenized real‑estate loan deal for a Maldives resort tied to World Liberty Financial and Securitize.

On February 15, 2026, Bitcoin is trading around $70,500 after bouncing from an early‑February slide toward 60k, restoring its market capitalization to about $1.4 trillion. Around $189 million in futures positions were liquidated over a recent 24‑hour span as derivatives leverage reset, while U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded roughly $15.1 million of net inflows on February 14. Large wallets holding more than 1,000 BTC reportedly added about 53,000 BTC during the sell‑off, and traders are now watching support near $60,000-$61,000 and resistance above $72,000 toward $75,000.

In August 2024, funding rates last turned deeply negative; in October 2025, CryptoQuant's BCMI sat near 0.5 before sliding to 0.2 by February 12. The firm says this mirrors early bear phases, with $5.4 billion in realized losses on February 5 and price still about 18% above the $55,000 realized level.