Markets Enter Uncharted Chaos as Iran Strike Forces Brutal Portfolio Resets

Intensifying Middle East conflict and surging geopolitical risk are igniting a dramatic market realignment, driving investors into energy, defense, commodities, and inflation-protected assets as volatility erupts.

Market Outlook Darkens With Soaring Oil and Heightened Middle East Tensions

A destabilizing jolt has shaken global markets, fueling inflation fears and sector turmoil as military escalation intensifies in the Middle East. Financial advisory firm Devere Group CEO Nigel Green stated on June 22 that President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities are dramatically resetting investor expectations.

“The U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear sites is a market-defining moment,” Green said, emphasizing:

It’s a direct hit to the assumptions that have been driving investor positioning: lower inflation, falling rates, and stable energy prices. This framework has just been broken.

As markets reopen, investors brace for extreme volatility, with surging oil prices drawing fresh scrutiny on inflation forecasts. Brent crude faces further upside amid fears of Iranian retaliation and the disruption to the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts now warn crude could spike toward $130 per barrel depending on Iran’s response. Green cautioned: “Such a price shock would filter through to global inflation, which remains elevated and/or sticky in many regions.” He added that anticipated rate cuts by central banks like the Federal Reserve may no longer be feasible: “A sustained surge in oil makes rate cuts very difficult to justify. If inflation spikes back up, monetary policymakers will be forced to hold, and possibly even reconsider the easing cycle altogether.”

The unfolding crisis may shift capital away from rate-sensitive sectors into energy, commodities, defense, and national security-linked firms. “With military budgets already rising in several developed economies, firms linked to security, surveillance, aerospace and weapons manufacturing are well-positioned to benefit from a surge in demand,” Green explained. He noted that safe-haven flows could support gold and inflation-linked bonds, while the U.S. dollar may rally short-term before longer-term vulnerabilities emerge: “This is not 2019. We’re in a tighter, more fragile system now, with less room for error,” he opined.

“Investors can’t afford to wait and see. They need to respond now, reposition portfolios, and focus on sectors and strategies that can withstand prolonged uncertainty,” Green stressed. He concluded:

The time for passive optimism is over. This strike marks a turning point. The smart investors are already repositioning, those who hesitate risk being left exposed.