2026-04-30

Sources

Bloomberg — 2026-04-30#

Lead Story#

Big tech earnings stole the spotlight as Alphabet added a historic amount to its market capitalization and Amazon proved the payoff of its artificial intelligence investments, helping push the S&P 500 to another record. The blockbuster results, alongside Apple beating estimates, overshadowed Meta’s spending-induced plunge and demonstrated that the AI growth engine is powering the US economy through war-driven inflation headwinds. This corporate resilience was echoed by macroeconomic data showing US gross domestic product grew an annualized 2% in the first quarter, driven by solid business and consumer demand.

2026-05-07

Sources

Bloomberg — 2026-05-07#

Lead Story#

The US and Iran are currently weighing a potential peace deal centered around a one-page memorandum to end their 10-week war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump halted a nascent US Navy mission to guide commercial ships as the administration awaits Tehran’s response, though the two nations still exchanged strikes in the waterway on Thursday. The ongoing conflict has sparked immense volatility in global energy markets, squeezing global shipping supply chains and stalling the Trump administration’s affordability agenda ahead of the US midterm elections.

2026-05-17

Sources

Bloomberg — 2026-05-17#

Lead Story#

The US and Iran remain at a deadlock over reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz, maintaining a deep freeze on commercial shipping and stalling diplomatic progress. This ongoing gridlock, punctuated by a recent drone strike that ignited a fire at a UAE nuclear plant, has sent global crude prices climbing and triggered a wave of war-driven inflation anxiety across financial markets. Consequently, the US bond market is experiencing intense selloffs, with 30-year yields surging toward a two-decade high above 5% as traders aggressively price in a new era of elevated borrowing costs.

2026-05-20

Sources

Bloomberg — 2026-05-20#

Lead Story#

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has officially filed paperwork to go public on the Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX, paving the way for what is widely expected to be the largest initial public offering in history. The rocket, satellite, and artificial intelligence enterprise is reportedly targeting up to $75 billion in its listing at a staggering valuation of over $2 trillion, a milestone that is all but certain to make Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

2026-06-09

Sources

Bloomberg — 2026-06-09#

Lead Story#

The US military launched fresh airstrikes against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an American AH-64 Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman, posing a severe new threat to the region’s fragile peace. While President Donald Trump insisted peace talks remain on track after brokering a halt to separate hostilities between Israel and the Islamic Republic, the latest US intervention triggered sharp swings across asset classes. Crude oil climbed and gold extended declines as traders rapidly recalibrated the geopolitical risk premium that had only just begun to evaporate from global markets.

2026-06-10

Sources

Bloomberg — 2026-06-10#

Lead Story#

Global markets are buckling under the weight of escalating Middle East tensions as the US and Iran exchanged direct military strikes following the downing of an American Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. The escalating conflict has catapulted oil prices and driven US consumer inflation to a three-year high of 4.2%, overshadowing a softer core reading and complicating the Federal Reserve’s path forward.

2026-06-11

Sources

Bloomberg — 2026-06-11#

Lead Story#

SpaceX raised $75 billion in its historic initial public offering, pricing 555.6 million shares at $135 each to achieve a massive $1.77 trillion valuation. The record-breaking market debut attracted more than $70 billion in retail orders alone, cementing its status as the largest IPO of all time and positioning founder Elon Musk on the verge of becoming the world’s first trillionaire,,.

2026-06-11

CNBC — 2026-06-11#

Lead Story#

SpaceX’s record-setting $75 billion IPO is officially set to debut on the Nasdaq, pricing at $135 a share for a $1.77 trillion valuation in a monumental test of investor appetite for “strategic tech”.

Markets & Economics#

The European Central Bank hiked its key interest rate to 2.25%, marking its first hike since 2023 as the protracted U.S.-Iran war drives up energy costs. In the U.S., the May Producer Price Index reflected this same energy shock, rising a hotter-than-expected 1.1% to push the 12-month wholesale inflation rate to 6.5%. Markets experienced severe whiplash; the Dow initially plunged over 900 points as U.S. forces launched fresh strikes on Iranian targets and President Trump threatened to seize Kharg Island. However, stocks rallied and oil sank after Trump abruptly canceled Thursday evening’s strikes and claimed a peace settlement was subject to finalization.

2026-06-18

Sources

Bloomberg — 2026-06-18#

Lead Story#

US President Donald Trump signed an interim peace deal to end the three-month war with Iran, triggering an immediate resumption of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement lifts the US naval blockade and initiates a complex 60-day negotiating period over Tehran’s nuclear program, sending global oil prices sharply lower as the market’s biggest supply shock recedes.

2026-06-20

CNBC — 2026-06-20#

Lead Story#

The massive AI infrastructure buildout is colliding with rising interest rates, forcing tech investors to pay close attention to the bond market. With Fed Chair Kevin Warsh signaling a possible rate hike in 2026, the cost of borrowing for hyperscalers like Amazon and Alphabet—who are projected to deploy a combined $750 billion this year—is coming under intense Wall Street scrutiny.

Markets & Economics#

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s first press conference sparked an equity sell-off and pushed the 10-year Treasury yield near 4.45% after he signaled a potential rate hike in 2026. In Asia, the Bank of Korea issued a rare warning that massive performance bonuses for semiconductor workers at Samsung and SK Hynix—some reaching over $400,000—could significantly stoke regional inflation, which is already projected to hit 2.7% this year. Geopolitically, energy markets are monitoring the Strait of Hormuz after Iran reportedly claimed to close the critical waterway, though U.S. officials denied the closure and Vice President JD Vance noted a record 16 million barrels of oil successfully flowed through the strait.