Episode summary
Iran Ramps Up Tanker Attacks; SpaceX in Talks to Buy Nvidia Chips | Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition
Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition
· · 15 min
Summary
Iran has stepped up attacks in the Strait of Hormuz just as oil shipments are moving back toward prewar levels, and the episode argues that the latest escalation has so far raised risk without yet clearly interrupting flows. UK Maritime Trade Operations has reported nine attacks so far this month, while maritime security officials said the reporting is patchy and the real damage is hard to measure. The discussion emphasized that Iran appears to be using the waterway to pressure the US and keep energy prices elevated.
That energy tension fed into domestic politics, where President Trump said he is considering suspending the federal gas tax to ease prices before the midterm election. The show also noted Maine’s Senate race, where Susan Collins and Troy Jackson are tightly matched on cost-of-living issues, even as Collins retains a small lead among likely voters. Separate analysis suggested Democrats may have a wider path to the Senate than before, with Kansas newly rated a tossup.
Markets were described as strong despite narrowing breadth, with the S&P 500 and NASDAQ at record highs. In company news, SpaceX was reported to be in talks to raise $40 billion to buy Nvidia chips for its AI buildout, while Jamie Dimon warned that AI brings real cyber risks even as JPMorgan deepens ties to Anthropic.
Key takeaways
- The host and a Bloomberg analyst said Iran’s renewed tanker attacks have increased uncertainty in Hormuz, but the shipping impact is still unclear.
- The host said President Trump is weighing a federal gas tax suspension, which analysts say could cut gasoline prices by 10 to 16 cents per gallon.
- Maine’s Susan Collins and Troy Jackson were tied at 47% on cost-of-living in a New York Times Siena College poll, while Collins led by three points among likely voters.
- The host said Cook Political Report now sees Democrats potentially picking up two to six Senate seats, with Kansas rated a tossup.
- Bloomberg reported SpaceX is in talks to raise $40 billion, including about $10 billion in bank loans and $30 billion in investment-grade debt, to buy Nvidia chips.
Notable quotes
“Iran has been stepping up attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, just as oil shipments are getting back to near pre-war levels”
“Our exact estimates for what's getting attacked and how often it's getting attacked is somewhat patchy because we know that not every attack is being reported”
“gas tax suspension would result in billions of dollars in lost revenue each month for the government and would likely lower prices between 10 and 16 cents per gallon”
“The same survey gave Collins a threepoint edge over Jackson among likely voters”
“Elon Musk, SpaceX is in talks with banks and investors to raise $40 billion to buy chips from Nvidia”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts, radio news. — Good morning. I'm Nathan Hager — And I'm Karen Moscow. Here are the stories we're following today. — Karen, we begin with the latest from the Middle East. Iran has been stepping up attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, just as oil shipments are getting back to near pre-war levels. The UK's maritime trade operations has reported nine attacks in the Straits so far this month. That's half the total for all of September in the straight and the Persian Gulf combined. Stuart Livingston Wallace is Bloomberg's head of Middle East coverage.
Our exact estimates for what's getting attacked and how often it's getting attacked is somewhat patchy because we know that not every attack is being reported and the level of damage that's being caused is very variable. However, based on the official reporting going through the UK Navy, which is sort of our benchmark for what's going on, yes, there absolutely has been much more in the way of report attacks over the last several weeks.
Bloomberg Stewart Livingston says it's not clear whether the latest escalation will mean shipments through Hormuz start to fall. Vice President JD Vance told Reuters the US is in talks with Iran's president and foreign minister, but it's unclear who's making the country's decisions. Well, Nathan, as tensions ramp up in the straight of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia is in a conflict with the Iranbacked Houthies around the Bob El Mandde Strait.
Sources tell Bloomberg News the Trump administration is reluctant to get more involved in that fight and is trying to pull the Saudis back from sparking a major new war in Yemen. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saudi Arabia has a right to defend itself.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- tanker attacks
- strait of hormuz shipping
- spacex nvidia chip fundraising
- ai buildout financing
- us midterm election polling
Companies and tickers mentioned
- NVDA
- APO
- Nvidia
- SpaceX
- Pacific Investment Management Co.
- Apollo Global Management
Watch the episode
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
More from Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition
-
Nvidia Faces Post-Huang Reckoning, Microsoft Races to Fix Outage | Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition -
Daybreak Weekend: Nvidia Earnings, UK Labour Market, APEC Summit | Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition -
Nvidia Weighs Succession Plans; Congress Preparing to Subpoena Jensen Huang | Bloomberg... -
GOP Thwarts Hegseth Impeachment; CoreWeave Quiets Doubts | Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition -
FBI Investigates Nvidia CEO, Anthropic IPO Snafu | Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition -
Nvidia CEO Affair Sparks Probe, Trump Admits Policy Mistake | Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition
Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition, this episode and its artwork belong to Bloomberg. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
