The Strait of Hormuz blockade sent WTI +7.94% and gasoline to a 4-year high of $4.30/gal, while the FOMC’s historic 8-4 split collapsed rate-cut probability from 59% to ~22.5% — stagflation confirmed as the Fed’s base-case bind. Alphabet’s Cloud +63% YoY drove Nasdaq above 25,000 for the first time; Meta’s $145B capex raise was punished -8.65% — the week AI demanded proof of ROI. Eli Lilly: Mounjaro $8.66B (+125% YoY), guidance raised to $82–85B.
MIB Digest: Hormuz Stagflation, Nasdaq 25K, and the Week AI Stopped Taking Capex on Faith
MIB: Stagflation Trap — Fed Splits 8-4, WTI +8%, GDPNow 1.2%, Mag-4 Beats Fail to Lift the Tape
Fed holds 3.50–3.75% in historic 8-4 split as hawkish dissenters signal removal of easing bias; Trump locks in months-long Iran blockade as WTI surges 8.3% to $108/bbl and US gas hits 4-year high of $4.23/gal; UAE quits OPEC effective May 1; Atlanta Fed finalizes Q1 GDPNow at 1.2%, 110 bps below 2.3% consensus ahead of Thursday’s advance GDP + Core PCE release.
MIB Digest: Intel’s 1987 Moment Lifts the Tape While the Consumer Breaks
Records on a stagflation tape. S&P (+0.55% WoW) and Nasdaq 100 (+2.37%) closed at fresh highs only because Intel’s Q1 blowout (Data Center +22% YoY) detonated a Friday semi rip — INTC +23.6%, AMD +13.9%, NVDA back through $5T — while the Dow (-0.44%), NYSE Composite (-1.13%), and Healthcare (-3.51%) refused to confirm. Brent +16% above $100 on the Hormuz standoff, Cleveland Fed CPI nowcast at 3.7%, and Friday’s UMich crashing to a record-low 49.8 with 1-yr inflation expectations un-anchoring to 4.7%. Polymarket cut-odds slipped 7.5 pp.
MIB: Narrow Record — Intel Blowout and DOJ-Powell Resolution Lift S&P/Nasdaq as UMich Hits All-Time Low
S&P 500 (+0.80%) and Nasdaq 100 (+1.95%) hit fresh records as Intel (+23.6%) blew out Q1 — best day since 1987 — dragging AMD (+13.9%) and NVDA (+4.3%, back above $5T). But the rally was narrow: Dow (-0.16%), Transports (-0.94%), NYSE Composite all red. DOJ dropped its Powell probe, clearing Warsh’s path; 10Y slipped to 4.31%. UMich sentiment crashed to a record-low 49.8 with 1-year inflation expectations spiking to 4.7%. Mega-cap tech earnings loom next week.
MIB: Oil Shock Meets Software Selloff as Meta and Microsoft Fund AI With Layoffs
S&P 500 and Nasdaq reversed off intraday record highs to close -0.41% / -0.57% as ServiceNow plunged 18% on a margin cut, snapping XLK’s 16-day streak. Trump ordered the Navy to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats in Hormuz; WTI spiked +4.35% to $97 as Brent held flat — a rare $9 spread. Meta cut 8,000 jobs and Microsoft launched its first-ever buyout (MSFT -3.97%) to fund AI capex. IBM -8.25% and AXP -4.31% on beat-and-fade; UNP +8.77%, CMCSA +7.73%. Intel crushed AMC. Spirit Airlines heads to court April 30 with 90% US government ownership on the table.
MIB: Iran Deadline, Apple CEO Transition, and Record Retail Sales Crush Rate-Cut Hopes
Iran ceasefire deadline Wednesday sent Brent crude surging toward $100 (S&P 500 -0.63%). Apple dropped a bombshell — Tim Cook stepping down, John Ternus in as CEO September 1 (AAPL -2.52%). Amazon’s $25B Anthropic deal is the largest AI infrastructure bet yet (AMZN +2.2%). Retail sales surged 1.7% but record gas station receipts flattered the number, crushing rate-cut hopes. UNH beat big (+6.96%); GE Aerospace sold off despite a 25% EPS beat (GE -5.56%).
MIB: Blockade Economics — Hormuz Chokes Oil Markets, Traps the Fed, and Markets Bet on Diplomacy
S&P 500 +1% as investors bet on Iran diplomacy despite Hormuz blockade and oil near $98. Oracle soared 12.7% on AI utilities platform launch (ORCL). Goldman Sachs beat Q1 estimates but fell 2% on FICC miss (GS). Trump threatened 50% tariffs on China over Iran arms shipment reports. Cleveland Fed inflation nowcasting hit 3.56% — rate cuts now a 2027 story. Meta set to overtake Google in global digital ad revenue for first time ever.
MIB: Ceasefire Euphoria — Oil Craters 14%, S&P Surges, Then the Strait Closes Again
S&P +2.51%, Dow +1,325 pts on Trump-Iran two-week ceasefire — but the Strait of Hormuz partially halted again by day’s end as the truce frayed. WTI -14.5%; semiconductors led: INTC +11%, LRCX +10%. Travel surged: UAL +10%, CCL +11%. Energy the only loser: XOM -5%, CVX -5%. UNH +9.4% on $13B Medicare Advantage windfall. FOMC minutes revealed rate hike discussions — Friday’s March CPI is the next test.
MIB: Kharg Island — Iran Strike Risk, Oil at $114, and the Market Held Its Breath
Trump’s Iran 8pm deadline looms as US strikes Kharg Island — WTI hit $114 intraday before settling at $110. CMS finalized Medicare Advantage +2.48% rates (UNH +9.37%, HUM +12%). NY Fed gas price expectations hit 4-year high of 9.4%. Trump restructured Section 232 metal tariffs to 50%/25% tiers. AVGO +6.21% on Google AI chip deal through 2031. DXY slid below 100 as gold hit $4,732.
MIB: Iran Off-Ramp Sparks Risk-On Rally While SpaceX Goes Public and the Energy Trade Unwinds
Iran peace talk sends S&P +0.72%, WTI below $100 for first time in weeks. SpaceX files confidential IPO at $1.75T valuation — could be largest in history. Intel reclaims Irish fab from Apollo for $14.2B; INTC +8.79%, chip sector surges. Lilly’s Foundayo becomes first oral GLP-1 weight-loss pill (LLY +3.78%). IEA warns April oil supply crisis twice as bad as March. Trump floats NATO exit; XOM -5.23%, CVX -4.59%.
MIB: Rally on Borrowed Peace — Iran Hopes Lift S&P 2.9% but $100 Oil and a Quantum Threat Linger
S&P 500 +2.91% and Nasdaq +3.43% on WSJ report Trump is willing to end Iran war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Gas hits $4/gallon — highest since 2022 — even as peace talks start. Oracle cut 30,000 jobs (18% of workforce) to fund AI data centers; $58B in new debt. Google warned quantum computers could crack Bitcoin in 9 minutes. Eli Lilly acquired Centessa for $7.8B to enter narcolepsy drugs. Nike beat Q3 estimates but fell 3% AH on weak China.
MIB: Iran Diplomacy Lifts Stocks, ARM Disrupts Nvidia’s Supply Chain, and the Recession Clock Keeps Ticking
Iran peace talks lift markets (S&P +0.54%) — Trump sends 15-point proposal; Tehran rejects, demands Hormuz control. ARM +12% on plan to sell own chips with Meta as anchor customer. SpaceX files for IPO this week — $1.75T valuation, biggest in history. Google TurboQuant 6x memory compression sends MU -3.4%. AMD and Intel +7% on CPU price hike reports. Gold +2.3% to $4,535 as stagflation hedge persists.
MIB: Arrested, Crashed, and Breached — SMCI Co-Founder Busted, Semis Collapse, and S&P Falls Below Its 200-Day
Fed’s hawkish echo crushes markets: S&P -1.51%, VIX +11%, 200-DMA breached for first time in 214 sessions. Semis rout: INTC -5%, MU -4.81%, NVDA -3.28% on post-GTC sell-the-news. SMCI co-founder arrested for smuggling $2.5B in Nvidia chips to China (SMCI -28%). 10Y yields spike +10 bps to 4.384%. Iran targets Gulf energy — WTI hits $98. FedEx surges +9% after blockbuster beat-and-raise.
MIB: Stagflation Trap — Hot PPI, Hawkish Fed, and $100 Oil Push Recession Odds to 49%
Hot PPI (+0.7% MoM) and a hawkish FOMC dot plot slam markets — S&P -1.36%, Dow -768 pts. WTI crude near $100 as Strait of Hormuz enters week three; Moody’s raises US recession odds to 49%. AbbVie -5.20% as J&J wins FDA approval for competing oral psoriasis drug. Mastercard -3.57% on $1.8B stablecoin BVNK acquisition. Micron (MU) reports record Q2 revenue of $23.86B AMC (+196% YoY); markets react Thursday.
MIB: FOMC Day One, Oil Resumes Rally, Amazon’s $600B AI Bet, and a Brutal LLY Downgrade
Oil resumed its climb — WTI $96, Brent $103+ — as FOMC Day 1 began and Monday’s de-escalation optimism faded. Amazon CEO Jassy doubled AWS 10-year target to $600B on AI demand (AMZN +1%). HSBC issued a rare Sell on LLY (-5.3%) citing GLP-1 market TAM saturation and imminent price wars. February retail sales beat (+0.6%) showed the consumer holding firm. Delta (DAL +6%) and American (AAL +4%) lifted Q1 guidance — travel demand crushing oil cost headwinds.
