Why surging oil prices should matter even if you own Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft

This is The Takeaway from today’s Morning Brief, which you can sign up to receive in your inbox every morning, along with:

ABCD.

Always. Be. Connecting. Dots.

That’s your primary mission as an investor. It’s something you can control each and every day. And it’s something you should really be locking in on at this very moment.

Oil prices (CL=F) are back on a steep rise as investors watch disturbing images of exploding ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported this week that Iran has warned the world to get ready for $200-per-barrel oil. I get the propaganda-like statement here, but still — eek!

Goldman Sachs is out with a fresh warning of its own on black gold. It sees oil prices averaging $98 per barrel through the end of April if the chaos in the Strait of Hormuz persists.

That’s not even the worst possible outcome!

“A more extreme upside scenario with a 60-day disruption to flows through the Strait of Hormuz could see prices average $145 in March and April before declining to $93 by the fourth quarter of the year,” Goldman Sachs strategists said.

You may be wondering, “Brian, how the hell does this all impact my Nvidia (NVDA) holdings, my Microsoft (MSFT) holdings, and my Apple (AAPL) holdings. These are cash-rich tech beasts that don’t pump oil! These are companies powering the unstoppable AI revolution! (Maybe not Apple, but you get the point.)”

To that question, I offer these friendly reminders:

• Good luck to Apple and CEO…