Markets turned volatile as AI stocks sold off and investors rotated into safe havens. Nasdaq underperformed sharply while the S&P 500 and Dow lagged on renewed risk aversion. Micron’s blowout results supported chip names, but Oracle data‑centre funding worries and geopolitical shocks — notably the Venezuela tanker blockade — were dominant catalysts, boosting gold and treasury demand.
President Trump ordered a naval blockade targeting sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, triggering an immediate oil-price response and raising geopolitical tensions. Markets and analysts are assessing storage strains and global supply risks as traders react.
66% – Micron’s Q1 revenue jump year‑over‑year to roughly $13.7bn.
Warner Bros. Discovery is fending off a hostile $108bn bid from Paramount while leaning on a rival Netflix deal, intensifying a high-stakes bidding war. The board has urged shareholders to reject Paramount’s offer, citing financing and strategic concerns.
Micron crushed estimates with a blowout quarter and bullish guidance, sending its stock sharply higher and reshaping sentiment around memory-chip demand for AI. The results are reverberating across semiconductors and the broader tech trade.
Medline IPO soars: biggest U.S. offering since 2021
Medline’s IPO jumped about 21% on debut, raising $6.26bn and signaling strong investor appetite for healthcare supply companies amid quieter tech markets.
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OpenAI funding chatter and Amazon’s reported talks to invest escalate the race for AI dominance and financing. Market speculation about multibillion-dollar rounds and chip deals is reshaping strategic partnerships across Big Tech and AI labs.
Coinbase moved beyond crypto with stock trading and Kalshi-powered prediction markets, signaling a bid to become an ‘everything’ exchange. The product rollout is rattling incumbents and drawing fresh analyst attention.
Rad Power Bikes files Chapter 11 – seeks buyer or restructuring
Electric‑bike maker Rad Power Bikes filed for Chapter 11 after funding shortfalls, marking a major setback for consumer EV supply-chain names and raising doubts about retail demand.
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Instacart shares plunged after reports the FTC opened a probe into its AI-powered pricing tool, spotlighting regulatory scrutiny of algorithmic pricing. The probe raises questions about competition, consumer harm and enforcement of tech-era pricing practices.
BP replaced its chief executive amid investor pressure, naming Meg O’Neill as the first woman to lead a major oil company. The leadership change signals a governance reset as BP confronts strategic and performance challenges.
Major moves: White House orders a maritime blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan tankers; Bank of England set to begin cutting rates as inflation cools; FTC opens scrutiny of AI pricing at major platforms; Treasury launches and solicits private funding for ‘Trump accounts’ for children.
The Bank of England is widely expected to begin loosening policy as inflation cools, setting up a shift in global rate dynamics. Analysts see room for early cuts, which would ripple through gilts, currency and global fixed income markets.
Oracle faces funding uncertainty for a planned $10bn US data centre project after a private backer reportedly balked, hammering the stock. The setback revives investor concerns about debt-fueled data-centre financing across cloud and AI infrastructure plays.
“I have ordered a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela.”
— President Donald Trump
Federal prosecutors unsealed indictments and charges tied to the collapse of subprime auto lender Tricolor, exposing alleged multi-year fraud that hit major banks. Guilty pleas and criminal counts deepen fallout for lenders and the credit sector.
House Republicans pushed a healthcare bill that would end ACA subsidy renewals, triggering intra-party revolt and moves by centrists to force a vote to extend subsidies. The dispute threatens millions of Americans’ healthcare costs ahead of an expiry.
AI-fueled selling hammered tech stocks, dragging the Nasdaq and sparking rotation into safe havens as investors reassess the AI trade. Precious metals rallied, with gold pushing toward record highs amid risk-off flows.
The U.S. government admitted liability and regulators faulted agencies after a fatal midair collision near Washington, prompting fresh safety and oversight scrutiny. Investigations could force procedural and equipment changes across military and civilian operations.
Israel approved a multibillion-dollar natural gas pact to deliver Leviathan gas to Egypt, marking a major energy tie-up in the region. The deal reshapes eastern Mediterranean gas flows and underlines strategic economic cooperation between the countries.
Data-centre deals continue to reshape real estate and tech investment, with Fermi in talks for Amazon as tenant and Texas Pacific Land striking a land deal for AI facilities. The moves highlight how landowners and developers are monetizing the AI buildout.
The Fed’s incoming leadership debate and signals from policymakers about rate cuts are reshaping market expectations for 2026. Comments from governors and coverage of the next chair selection underscore the policy uncertainty facing investors.
Big-ticket AI and cloud funding continued as Databricks raised a massive round and chip challenger Mythic scored fresh capital, underscoring investor appetite for AI infrastructure. The fundings intensify competition with incumbents and fuel new capex plans.
The delayed jobs report showed the unemployment rate climbing and payroll weakness, while pending inflation data will determine whether price pressures are easing. The twin data points will be pivotal for markets and Fed expectations in the near term.