According to the National Hurricane Center in the United States, Hurricane Beler has strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane and is expected to approach major hurricane strength when it enters the central Caribbean and passes near Jamaica on Wednesday and near the Cayman Islands on Thursday.
According to the National Hurricane Center in the United States, Hurricane Beler has strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane and is expected to approach major hurricane strength when it enters the central Caribbean and passes near Jamaica on Wednesday and near the Cayman Islands on Thursday. US stock investors are closely watching this development.
In its latest announcement, the National Hurricane Center in the United States stated that Beler has become the strongest storm formed in the Atlantic Ocean at this time of year and is expected to continue moving rapidly northwestward over the next few days, then turn west on Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center in the United States added that the hurricane force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles (205 kilometers).
It is understood that Category 5 is the highest level in the hurricane wind speed rating, and there is no maximum value. Due to the impact of Beler, US tourism-related stocks were under pressure on Monday, with cruise stocks Carnival (CCL.US) and Norwegian Cruise (NCLH.US) falling more than 5%, and Royal Caribbean Group (RCL.US) and Viking Holdings (VIK.US) falling by about 2%.
In addition, airlines such as Southwest Airlines (LUV.US), American Airlines (AAL.US), Delta Air Lines (DAL.US), and United Airlines (UAL.US) also experienced varying degrees of decline.
Hurricanes usually cause various disasters and losses, and insurance companies such as Chubb Ltd (CB.US), Progressive (PGR.US), Allstate (ALL.US), American International Group (AIG.US), and The Travelers Companies (TRV.US) have also received attention from investors.
Analysts at ING Group also stated in a report that recent reports indicate that the record-breaking Hurricane Beler is intensifying and increasing the possibility of flooding and storm surges that could hit oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico later this week.
Major oil and gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico include Chevron (CVX.US), Shell (SHEL.US), Exxon Mobil (XOM.US), and BP plc (BP.US).