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📰 Market Headlines
Markets oscillated yesterday with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posting modest gains while positive labor data helped offset OECD warnings about tariff impacts.
The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, the Dow added 0.5%, and the Nasdaq climbed 0.8%, extending a strong weekly start.
Yesterday, 64% of you said that Google Chrome should not be sold to a big tech company if Alphabet is forced to part with it.
Elon Musk torched President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," calling it a “pork-filled Congressional disaster” that will explode the federal deficit to $2.5 trillion (the CBO predicts $3.8 trillion). Several GOP Senators backed Musk’s take—and didn’t hold back on Twitter.
Hiring in the private sector only rose by 37,000 in May—far less than the Dow Jones’ prediction of 110,000. It’s the lowest number since 2023. Trump used the new data as an opportunity to berate Jerome Powell on Truth Social.
Trump also called China’s President Xi “EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!” Months ago, that kind of post from the POTUS could have tanked markets; now, stocks continue rising, and investors seem numb to the roller coaster of tariff trouble.
Musk’s xAI could become the fourth hectocorn in the world, behind startups ByteDance, OpenAI, and Elon’s own SpaceX. (And yes, there are now more unicorn companies than there are Yangtze finless porpoises in existence.)
😱 Fear and Greed Index
🧠 Make yourself heard
Is Musk right about the “big, beautiful bill”?
📊 Chart of the day
Chartr made an interactive chart using CB Insights’ data on unicorn companies. You can segment it by country.
The US has 720 unicorn companies—more than all other countries combined.
🤖 AI/Future/Tech News
Vuzix announced a partnership with Wyr.ai to power a smart glasses platform that’s actually useful for manufacturers.
📊 Alternative investing news
President Trump plans to waive Defense Production Act requirements to boost minerals production, fast tracking $50 million in critical minerals projects to compete with China.
KKR assembled a record $42 billion pipeline of private real estate loans as commercial property values reset and traditional lenders pull back.
🚨 This stock just took the #1 spot on AltIndex
AltIndex just gave a new stock the highest AI Score on the platform—beating Nova Ltd. (75/100), which had held the top spot.
Nova is already up 32% in just two months since AltIndex flagged it.
The model combines alternative data (like job listings, social buzz & web traffic) with traditional financials to spot what others miss.
Click below to see our AI model’s newest #1 pick.
Always do your own research.
⚔️ Trade wars
China’s mineral ban sparked automaker talks before the President Trump–Xi meeting, as Germany’s DAX stalled, UK growth was cut on US tariffs, and India moved to ease foreign bank limits.
🪙 Crypto
Jacobi Asset Management opened access to its Bitcoin ETF for European retail investors after Guernsey regulators removed previous restrictions.
Kraken unveiled Kraken Prime, a full-service prime brokerage for institutional clients, offering trading, custody, and financing across more than 20 global venues.
💡 Ideas, trends, and analysis
The OECD slashed its US growth forecast to 1.6% for 2025. We couldn’t fit the full breakdown here, but it’s worth a read.
Layoffs surged by 196,000 in April, the sharpest rise in nine months, while quits dropped by 150,000—here’s why.
Consumer sentiment has slumped four months in a row, driven by fears of rising prices and job insecurity.
🌍 International Markets
🇨🇳 Here’s why China is having emergency meetings in Beijing about critical minerals.
🇩🇪 Germany's DAX hovered near 24,000 as traders eyed the ECB rate decision, with indicators showing neutral to slightly bullish momentum below 24,393 resistance.
🇬🇧 The OECD cut UK growth forecasts to 1.3% for 2025 and 1.0% for 2026, citing US tariffs and limited fiscal space despite a stronger 0.7% Q1.
🇮🇳 India's RBI signaled easing of foreign bank ownership rules as interest surged, with Sumitomo Mitsui gaining approval for a 20% stake in Yes Bank.
🎤 What you said last time
“The best manager is the one who doesn't want to be one.”
🚚 Market movers
Texas dropped BlackRock from its energy-boycott list after the firm exited key climate groups and scaled back support for ESG shareholder resolutions.
Meta locked in a 20-year pact to buy 1,121 megawatts of nuclear power from Constellation’s Clinton plant starting mid-2027, aiming to meet soaring AI-driven energy needs.
📊 Earnings this week
Signet beat Q1 estimates and raised the low end of its full-year outlook, citing strong sales at Kay, Zales, and Jared; shares rallied.
Ollie’s grew revenue 13.4% and raised guidance despite margin pressure from expansion costs; shares pulled back slightly.
NIO reported a wider-than-expected Q1 loss and missed revenue estimates while deliveries jumped 40% year over year; shares slid nearly 4%.
Dollar General raised its full-year forecast after beating Q1 earnings, driven by higher spending from middle- and upper-income shoppers; shares jumped 16%.
Crowdstrike topped Q1 earnings estimates and posted strong ARR growth, but weak guidance and lingering concerns over 2024’s IT outage sent shares down more than 6%.
🐦️ Curated finance Twitter roundup
We’ve gone through and picked out some Twitter posts we think you’ll get value from.
Michael Saylor’s 36-minute presentation on “21 Ways to Wealth”
Everyone’s using AI, but not everyone enjoys it, according to Statista
Politicians are beginning to believe in Bitcoin—Rep. Gill bought $2.2 million
📢 We want to hear from you
Let us know what you did or didn’t like, too!
We love hearing from you, and we deeply appreciate your feedback.
⭐️ What did you think of today's edition?
📺 What to watch today
That’s all for today. Did I miss anything? Smash the reply button to let me know.
Cheers,
Brandon with Stefan & Wyatt
