Why AI Might Be Saudi Arabia’s New Oil

🚨 UnitedHealth loses 2nd CEO in surprise exit

Author

Brandon Harris
May 14, 2025

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📰 Market Headlines

S&P 500 fully recovered all of its 2025 losses on Tuesday—the fastest recovery from a 15% year-to-date decline since 1982.

  • The S&P 500 climbed 0.7%, the Nasdaq advanced 1.8%, and the Dow slipped 0.6%.

Big AI deals in the Gulf. During President Trump’s Gulf tour, U.S. tech firms locked in major AI agreements. Nvidia will sell hundreds of thousands of AI chips to Saudi startup Humain, and AMD announced a $10 billion partnership with the same firm—all in line with Saudi’s Vision 2030 plan to stop relying on oil. This news may be financially bullish overall, but after several strong sessions for tech, we’re watching for signs of a short-term pullback today.

A trillion-dollar promise—or just a headline? Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince announced $1 trillion in Saudi investment in U.S. commercial deals, which is roughly equal to the country’s entire GDP. But with only $300 billion in deals confirmed so far, the numbers don’t fully add up. Still, the message is clear: the U.S. is prioritizing economic partnership with the Gulf over intervention.

UnitedHealth plunged after a surprise CEO exit. Shares fell 17% after CEO Andrew Witty abruptly resigned—echoing the December drop that followed the killing of former CEO Brian Thompson. The company stated that its goal is to return to profitability by 2026, which would take 13-16% growth—but for now, we’re on the sidelines, as this stock has no clear floor yet.

😱 Fear and Greed Index

🧠 Make yourself heard

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⚔️ Trade Wars

  • New Delhi submitted a notice to the WTO proposing counter tariffs on US goods in response to President Trump’s 25% duties on steel and aluminum.

  • China denounced the new US-UK trade deal, warning it could be used to squeeze Chinese products out of British supply chains.

  • Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney overhauled his cabinet to prioritize US trade relations.

  • President Trump announced plans to lift all sanctions on Syria as part of a broader Gulf strategy.

🥇 AltIndex Top Stock Pick

AltIndex’s AI-driven stock analysis highlighted Nova Ltd. as a strong buy, with a target price of $238.70. Shares are still around $202 as of writing.

Beyond financials, Nova Ltd. has seen an increase in job listings and Twitter followers, signaling growth.

📊 Alternative Investing News

  • Oil prices jumped as West Texas Intermediate advanced 2.8% to settle near $64 a barrel.

  • Dallas Police and Fire Pension System allocated $30 million to private debt, backing Monroe Capital and HPS Investment Partners.

  • PE firm Mauloa rolled out the SMB Accelerator, targeting family-owned businesses near DC with at least $20 million in annual revenue.

🤖 AI/Future/Tech News

  • Alibaba made its Qwen3 AI models available on Ollama, LM Studio, and other platforms.

  • Google rolled out Gemini to Android Auto, adding natural language voice commands and real-time assistance in over 40 languages.

  • Google tested AI Mode in Search with some US users, replacing the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button in Labs.

🪙 Crypto

  • Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed three crypto bills that would have created a state Bitcoin reserve, allowed digital asset investments, and permitted crypto tax payments, citing market volatility concerns.

  • Hobbs approved strict Bitcoin ATM regulations, capping new user transactions at $2,000 daily and returning users at $10,500, while requiring scam warnings and refunds for fraud victims.

  • Repealing birthright citizenship could increase the unauthorized population by 5.4 million by 2075.

  • The US Dollar Index slid after April inflation fell to 2.3%, missing forecasts. Core inflation held steady at 2.8%.

  • The US coffee market, valued at $28.1 billion in 2024, is set to grow at 3.8% annually and reach $37.4 billion by 2032.

  • The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau canceled a 2023 settlement with Toyota's financing arm that would have required $48 million in refunds to car buyers.

🌍 International Markets

  1. 🇲🇱 Mali's military junta scrapped all political parties on May 13, with leader Assimi Goita validating recommendations from a national conference.

  2. 🇨🇭 Swiss stocks dipped 0.44% as the Swiss Market Index responded to conflicting global economic signals.

  3. 🇮🇳 India's inflation cooled to 3.16% in April, its lowest level since July 2019 and below economists' expectations of 3.2%.

  4. 🇧🇷 Brazil's central bank vowed to maintain a tight monetary policy for a prolonged period, keeping interest rates at 14.75%.

🎤 What you said last time

What you had to say about it:

“False euphoria. All these numbers coming out are from before the tariffs. When April's numbers come out people are going to get rug pulled.”

🚚 Market movers

  • Starbucks baristas walked out at over 50 stores to protest a new dress code requiring solid black tops.

  • Airbnb expanded beyond rentals, adding personal chefs, travel guides, and aestheticians to compete more directly with hotels.

  • Microsoft announced that it will be laying off 6,000 employees, or 3% of its workforce, in a restructuring move aimed at flattening management layers.

  • Nissan slashed 11,000 more jobs and closed seven factories after a $4.5 billion annual loss.

📊 Earnings this week

  • JD.com delivered a 49% jump in adjusted earnings, 15.8% revenue growth and shares accelerated 3.3%.

  • Sea posted 65 cents EPS on revenue that rose nearly 30% year-over-year, beating profit expectations; stock surged 8.2%.

  • Honda reported a 76% plunge in Q4 operating profit and downgraded its full-year outlook due to tariff pressure, with shares dropping 4.20%.

  • Under Armour met EPS expectations with an 11.4% revenue decline and improved gross margin, but analysts cut price targets; shares up 0.97%.

  • Nu Holdings hovered ahead of its Q1 earnings call, with shares increasing 1.47%.

🧠 Miscellanea

  • Residents in a Northern California city reported birds “exploding,” with necropsies on two of the at least 13 deceased fowl.

  • An Australian man endured two wrongful arrests and a night in jail after a dispatcher misspelled his name.

  • A professional circus performer, Leila Noone, dangled by her own hair for 25 minutes and 11.3 seconds at Redwood National and State Parks.

  • A Houston cat named Holly Marie Gonzalez received a quinceañera for her 15th birthday, complete with a remote-controlled Bentley entrance and a mariachi band.

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📺 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

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