On July 20, PetroChina (00857.HK) rose 3.23% in regular trading, trading at HKD 9.9/share, with turnover of HKD 136 million.

On the news front, the US-Iran conflict continues to escalate as the US military launched another strike on Iran on July 19, marking a continuation of multi-day airstrikes. Previously, the US announced the restoration of a maritime blockade on Iran, imposing a 20% fee on all cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz and banning Iranian vessels from entering or exiting the strait. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy had earlier declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all shipping.

The escalation drove Brent crude futures above USD 84 per barrel, while WTI crude futures surged as much as 9.4% in a single session, the largest single-day gain in approximately two and a half months. Sustained geopolitical tensions combined with supply contraction expectations have broadly lifted the oil sector. Analysts have noted that accelerating inventory drawdowns and logistical bottlenecks will likely keep crude markets tight through the coming months.

(The above content is based on publicly available market information, generated by a program or algorithm, and is intended solely as a stock movement alert. It does not constitute investment advice or a basis for trading decisions.)