Watching Energy on Current Middle East Tensions

The spike in $USO today to 125.21, up over 6%, really caught my eye. While it's always tricky to trade geopolitical events directly, the consistent upward pressure on crude in the face of ongoing Middle East tensions suggests this isn't just a fleeting blip. I'm keeping a close watch on energy-related sectors and major oil plays to see if this sustained move indicates a broader shift in inflation expectations, which would certainly get the Fed's attention and impact rate hike probabilities going into year-end. My watchlist is definitely leaning more into defensive, stable names that can weather potential inflationary pressures.