Archive
Hot Tips
-
-
U.S. Retail Sales Increased,
for a third straight month in April, though part of the rise in receipts was due to soaring inflation amid the war with Iran. Rising price pressures were underscored by other data on Thursday showing imported inflation last month rose at its fastest pace in four years. Larger tax refunds this year, as well as a strong stock market performance, are providing a cushion for households against rampant inflation.
-
Business Inventories Soar,
in March, up 0.9%, the worst numbers in four years. Nobody’s buying anything in the retail stores. It’s another pre-recession indicator.
-
Ford Rockets on Rumors of an AI Tie-Up.
The shares climbed as much as 10% Thursday in New York, pushing the two-day gain to 25%, the most intraday since March 2020. The move turned Ford’s stock positive for the year. Ford is investing $2 billion to get into the energy storage business, which includes converting a factory in Kentucky from making batteries for electric vehicles to producing large energy cells for the storage business. US demand for grid batteries is expected to double by 2030 to more than 100 gigawatt-hours.
-
Business is Booming in California,
as the AI melt-up accelerates. California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a revised budget that shows no deficit for this year and next, as the state draws another boost from the technology and artificial-intelligence boom. The budget proposal released Thursday shows revenues that are $16.5 billion higher than projections. That improvement gives Newsom, a Democrat, more room to protect programs popular with the party’s voters as he prepares to leave office after the next election, as a potential contender for the presidency in 2028.
-
Cerebras IPO to Open at Double Issue Price.
Shares of Cerebras Systems were indicated to open 90% higher than their IPO price in the U.S. market debut on Thursday, as the chipmaker rides a wave of investor euphoria for companies that are at the heart of the artificial intelligence boom. The firm's IPO is the largest this year and comes as AI-linked stocks push broader markets to record highs despite challenges to global growth stemming from the Middle East conflict. In case you don’t know, Cerberus is the fearsome, multi-headed dog in Greek mythology that guards the entrance to Hades (the Underworld).
-
-
-
PPI Skyrockets to a Four-Year High.
US wholesale inflation accelerated in April to the fastest pace since 2022 on a war-driven increase in energy prices that’s feeding into higher freight transportation costs. The Producer Price Index rose 6% from a year ago, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data out on Wednesday. A core measure of wholesale inflation that excludes food and energy increased 5.2% from April 2025, the biggest advance in more than three years.
-
Canadian Visitors to the US Fell 42% in 2025,
according to the University of Toronto, using phone data. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, took the biggest hit with a 65% hit. The Trump presidency was to blame. The entire travel industry is suffering.
-
Nuclear Energy is Booming.
New reactors with new designs mean new uranium mines and new production. The nuclear supply chain is expanding due to factors like geopolitics, geology, and artificial intelligence, with new uranium mines and factories being developed to meet growing energy needs. Buy (CCJ) and (VSTR) on dips.
-
US Dollar Jumps,
on the red-hot PPI, which will certainly lead to higher interest rates. The Euro has dropped to $1.17 to the US dollar. With inflation now officially out of control, expect high interest rates and a US dollar rally. Finally, I can afford my Europe trip.
-
OPEC Oil Production Falls 30%,
the cartel said in its latest monthly update on Wednesday. OPEC also lowered its demand growth forecast for 2026 to around 1.2 million barrels per day, down from about 1.4 million bpd previously. Global demand is facing constraints because supply from the Persian Gulf has been effectively cut off by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. OPEC production fell by 1.7 million bpd in April after output plunged by 7.9 million bpd in March. In total, production among OPEC members has fallen more than 30%, or 9.7 million bpd, during the war.
-
-
-
Inflation Comes in Red Hot.
US inflation accelerated in April on rising gasoline and grocery costs, exceeding wage growth in a double whammy for already strained consumers. The consumer price index rose 3.8% from a year earlier, up from 3.2%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data out Tuesday, the most since 2023. After adjusting for inflation, wages fell for the first time in three years. Bonds (TLT) were crushed.
-
CME to Create Futures Market for Computing Power Backing AI.
Definitely buy the dip here. The futures will help traders, financial firms, AI builders, and cloud providers manage volatility and price swings, according to a statement on Tuesday. Indexes from market-intelligence firm Silicon Data will help underpin the products. The project is still pending regulatory review. Computing power, also known as compute, has been in high demand as AI companies use it to power their systems.
-
Tesla Ramps Up Berlin Battery Production.
By almost $250 million, boosting its capacity target for the site, the company said on Tuesday. Tesla announced in December investments amounting to almost 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) at the site in Gruenheide, southeast of the German capital, as it seeks to bring battery cell and vehicle production all under one roof from next year. The EV business is on the mend!
-
Oil Leaps $5,
topping $102 a barrel, as stark differences between the U.S. and Iran over a proposal to end the Iran War pushed supply concerns back into the spotlight. Brent crude futures gained $3.34, or 3.21%, to $107.55 a barrel by 1314 GMT, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate was up $3.18, or 3.24%, at $101.25. Both benchmarks climbed nearly 3% on Monday.
-
Bonds Get Trashed,
on the CPI print, taking ten-year yields up to 4.45% and prices down to nine-month lows. Accelerating inflation will make matters worse. And of course, everyone is ignoring the 800-pound gorilla in the room, soaring National Debt, now at $39 trillion.
-
-
-
Consumer Confidence Hits New All-Time Low.
Surging gas prices due to the Iran war sent consumer sentiment to a new low in the early part of May, according to a University of Michigan survey on Friday. The school's closely watched survey posted a 48.2 preliminary reading, down 3.2% from April's prior record swoon and off 7.7% from a year ago. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 49.7.
-
Existing Homes Sales Rise a Feeble 0.2% in April.
Month-over-month sales increased in the Midwest and South, were unchanged in the Northeast, and declined in the West. On a year-over-year basis, sales rose in the South, were flat in the West, and fell in both the Northeast and Midwest. First-time buyers' share of sales falls to 33%, below the robust market threshold. High-end homes outperform, reflecting a K-shaped economy and stock market gains
-
EV Sales are Booming in Europe,
thanks to sky-high $10 a gallon gasoline prices. Demand for affordable electric vehicles is soaring in Europe as the fuel price increases caused by the Middle East conflict spur lower-income households to go green. Inquiries about EVs costing less than €30,000 ($35,000) on Mobile.de, Germany’s largest car marketplace, have jumped 87% since the start of March, led by models like Renault's Zoe. That’s outstripping a 77% rise in inquiries about all EVs, regardless of price. In the UK, inquiries about EVs between five and seven years old tripled in April from a year earlier, well ahead of newer, more expensive electric cars, according to data from Auto Trader, the country’s largest marketplace.
-
U.S. senators are set to consider long-awaited Crypto Legislation
that would create a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency on Thursday, potentially ending a deadlock over the bill that pitted crypto companies against U.S. banks. The bill, dubbed the Clarity Act, would, if signed into law, clarify financial regulators' jurisdiction over the burgeoning sector, potentially boosting digital asset adoption. Buy (MSTR) on dips.
-
US Beef Prices are Soaring.
The U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to its lowest level in 75 years, and beef prices continue to climb. Expectations for increased beef imports from Brazil weighed on U.S. cattle futures after Trump met Brazilian President Inacio Lula da Silva last week. On Monday, Chicago Mercantile Exchange June live cattle futures shook off early losses to end slightly higher, while August feeder cattle dropped 0.5%.
-
-
-
Nonfarm Payroll Jumps to 115,000 in April,
higher than expected, but half of what it was two years ago. The “No hire, no fire” economy continues. The headline unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3%. The report showcases a labor market that may be gaining momentum after zero job growth last year. It showed hiring advanced across a variety of sectors and follows other data indicating layoff activity remains low.
-
Trump 10% Global Tariffs Ruled Illegal
by the International Court of Trade under section 122. All tariffs collected up to now must be refunded. Good luck with that. The government has been stonewalling refund requests at every opportunity, including those from 35 million small businesses. The court ruled that the president has no inherent authority to impose tariffs.
-
U.S. construction spending rebounded in March,
boosted by a surge in single-family homebuilding, but higher mortgage rates could limit further gains. The Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Thursday that construction spending rose 0.6% after falling 0.2% in February. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast construction spending would rise 0.2% in March.
-
Coinbase Gets Killed,
taking the shares down 5%. The company is not used to living in someone else’s shadow, currently, semiconductor stocks. Coinbase posted lower-than-expected results for the first quarter as crypto prices fell, weighing on one of the company's major revenue drivers — spot trading in digital assets. The company, which operates the largest cryptocurrency marketplace in the U.S., posted transaction revenue of $755.8 million versus $805.2 million expected by analysts. Subscription revenue came in at $583.5 million versus $619.3 million expected.
-
Airbnb Beats,
where I basically live all year. Revenue grew 18% during the quarter from $2.27 billion last year. Net income increased to $160 million, or 26 cents per share, from $154 million, or 24 cents per share, last year. For the current quarter, Airbnb issued an upbeat forecast, calling for revenue between $3.54 billion and $3.60 billion. Analysts expected $3.46 billion in revenue. The company lifted revenue guidance for the year to "low to mid-teens" growth from a 12% forecast.
-
