Markets remain highly unpredictable as war headlines clash

Markets are trading like a theatre of the absurd — where one headline can flip everything in seconds. Within hours, threats of escalation turned into ceasefire hopes, sending oil plunging, equities soaring, and investors scrambling to keep up. But just as quickly, doubts crept back in. At the center of it all: the TACO trade — the idea that Trump ultimately “chickens out.” It’s worked before. But what happens when the other side doesn’t play along? With tensions in the Middle East driving energy prices and sentiment, markets are caught between fear of escalation and fear of missing the next rally. Is this just another dip to buy… or the start of something bigger? Listen to find out more! Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020, and launched her own website ipekScope.com in 2025.