Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war
Published . Updated .
Number of vessels targeted in Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf more than double September's total
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- BWET Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF-3.3% 17d
Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks shipping freight. Linked by “vessel” (container shipping) in this story.
- IYT iShares U.S. Transportation ETF
iShares U.S. Transportation ETF: it tracks shipping freight. Linked by “vessel” (container shipping) in this story.
- ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF-3.0% 30d
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “war” (defense) in this story.
- USO United States Oil Fund+13.9% 30d
United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “middle east” (oil) in this story.
- ZIM ZIM Integrated Shipping Services+1.3% 30d
ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (deep sea foreign transportation of freight): shipping lines' rates jump when routes or ports are disrupted. Linked by “vessel” (container shipping) in this story.
- FRO Frontline+14.2% 30d
Tanker operators earn more when freight rates spike. Linked by “hormuz” in this story
- INSW International Seaways+1.7% 11d
Tanker operators earn more when freight rates spike. Linked by “hormuz” in this story
- MATX Matson-5.7% 9d
Matson (water transportation): shipping lines' rates jump when routes or ports are disrupted. Linked by “vessel” (container shipping) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWETNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| IYTNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ITANo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| USO | -1.54% | -1.29% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| ZIM | +4.03% | +4.49% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| FRO | -2.94% | -2.39% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| INSW | +1.66% | -0.13% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| MATXNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
Market Call
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Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war The National
Source: The National
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) since this story, compared with the market
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontline (FRO) | three days earlier | -2.39% | final price |
| Frontline (FRO) | five days earlier | -2.94% | final price |
| International Seaways (INSW) | three days earlier | -0.13% | final price |
| International Seaways (INSW) | five days earlier | +1.66% | final price |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | three days earlier | -1.29% | final price |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | five days earlier | -1.54% | final price |
| ZIM | three days earlier | +4.49% | final price |
| ZIM | five days earlier | +4.03% | final price |
Congressional trades in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 14 Oct 2026. That is 17 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) (jointly held), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 31 Aug 2026. That is 61 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Chevron (CVX), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 14 Oct 2026. That is 17 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Chevron (CVX) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 38 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar bought Chevron (CVX), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 2 Sep 2026. That is 59 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Middle East on the map for this story
Geopolitics Alpha has 0 stories about Middle East from the past 7 days and 0 stories from the past 30. “Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war” is tagged to Middle East.
Who collects and who pays in defense
The side that tends to collect
- FRO Frontline
For “Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war,” Frontline (FRO) tends to benefit, medium confidence. Reason on file: Tanker operators earn more when freight rates spike. Linked by “hormuz” in this story
- INSW International Seaways
For “Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war,” International Seaways (INSW) tends to benefit, medium confidence. Reason on file: Tanker operators earn more when freight rates spike. Linked by “hormuz” in this story
No up or down call on file
- ITA IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF
In “Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war,” IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “war” (defense) in this story
- XAR Spdr Series Trust
Spdr Series Trust (XAR) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 31 Oct 2026 story “Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war.” Reason on file: SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “war” (defense) in this story
- USO United States Oil Fund
For “Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war,” United States Oil Fund (USO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “middle east” (oil) in this story
- BWET Amplify Commodity Trust
In “Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war,” Amplify Commodity Trust (BWET) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks tanker freight rates. Linked by “middle east” (tanker shipping) in this story
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) and the defense link
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is the company in “Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war,” the 31 Oct 2026 Middle East story.
The link for IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is this: iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “war” (defense) in this story
Also listed, Spdr Series Trust (XAR): SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “war” (defense) in this story
Dates in the story, and the IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) price range
ITA traded between 197.59 and 215.76 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 209.72. USO traded between 141.82 and 171.80 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 168.83. XAR traded between 210.89 and 237.55 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 227.38.
The defense score for IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
46 out of 100
“Middle East latest: Attacks on ships transiting Hormuz in October highest since start of war” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 8 linked companies.