A lull in US-Iran airstrikes has failed to ease pressure on key shipping lanes, as Iran-backed Houthi forces attacked Saudi-linked tankers in the Red Sea and threatened to blockade the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to fewer than 10 ships over the weekend, down from more than 100 a day before the war, according to shipping data tracked by CNN. Brent and WTI each fell more than 6% in a single session even as US equity index futures pointed higher. The moves underscored market concern that supply risks are shifting from a tactical pause in fighting to broader, longer-lasting disruptions.

The US Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, allowing the company to restore access for overseas users. The restrictions were imposed after Amazon identified a jailbreak that could bypass Fable’s safety guardrails, prompting an emergency suspension of foreign use. Anthropic said the controls were removed after it worked with the government to strengthen protections, though it did not disclose the specific technical changes.

A survey by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) found that 51% of central banks plan to increase gold reserves, a record high, citing rising geopolitical risk and concerns about the stability of the international monetary system. Over the same period, the dollar’s share of reserves fell to a 20-year low, while the euro and the renminbi gained appeal. The results point to stronger systemic demand for safe havens that is supporting gold allocations and price momentum.

South Korea’s Kospi plunged 10% on Tuesday, triggering a circuit breaker and a 20-minute trading halt. SK Hynix and Samsung, which together account for about half of the Kospi’s market value, each fell more than 12%, dragging regional tech shares lower. Japan’s Nikkei fell 3.6% and SoftBank slid 15%, while in the U.S. the Nasdaq dropped 1.3% and the S&P 500 fell 0.8%. Oil prices edged down on signs of progress toward peace in Iran, a move the report said was not directly tied to the AI-driven selloff.