April CPI hit 3.8% — hottest since May 2023 — eliminating all 2026 cut bets and lifting hike odds to 30%; QCOM crashed 11.5% as Monday’s record highs evaporated. WTI settled at $102/bbl (+4.1%) with Goldman warning on downstream product shortages from naphtha to aviation fuel. Goolsbee explicitly tabled rate hikes; Warsh’s Fed Chair vote is Wednesday. UNH’s EPS beat (+9.7%) lifted Healthcare to S&P top sector. $166B in tariff refunds began flowing back to Walmart, Target, and Nike.
Tag Archives | Jerome Powell
MIB: The Cut Consensus Is Dead — Can Warsh’s Fed Avoid a Hike Without a Bond Market Tantrum?
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MIB Digest: The AI Stampede Hits Record Highs While the Consumer Hits a 74-Year Sentiment Low
Iran peace optimism crashed WTI 9% Wednesday before ceasefire violations partially reversed it — oil fell –7.73% WoW, consumer gas near $4.55. Into that geopolitical tape, AMD’s Q1 Data Center revenue (+57% YoY) and the preliminary Apple–Intel foundry deal ignited AI semiconductors: Micron crossed $800B, INTC surged 25%, Nasdaq 100 +5.50% while the NYSE Composite fell –0.43%. April NFP exploded to +115K (vs. 65K consensus), cementing Fed on hold through 2027 — but Michigan Consumer Sentiment crashed to a 74-year record low, and a simultaneous hawkish Fed pivot by Musalem, Goolsbee, and Hammack put rate hike optionality on the table.
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MIB: NFP Blowout Lifts S&P to ATH as Michigan Sentiment Hits 74-Year Low, Apple-Intel Deal Reshapes US Chip Strategy
April NFP exploded to +115K vs. 65K expected, vaulting the S&P 500 to a new ATH and cementing Fed-on-hold through 2027 — but Michigan Sentiment crashed to a 74-year record low of 48.2 as $4.55 gasoline hammers household confidence. Apple and Intel struck a preliminary chip-manufacturing deal backed by a 10% White House equity stake in Intel. Micron crossed $800B, eclipsing JPMorgan. Iran diplomacy inched forward but active military exchanges continue — Hormuz remains the inflation wildcard. Warsh Senate vote: next week.
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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.
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MIB: Triple Shock — OpenAI Revenue Miss, UAE Exits OPEC, and Trump Rejects Iran’s Hormuz Deal Ahead of $700B AI Earnings Week
OpenAI missed revenue and user targets (WSJ), gutting AI chip stocks — AMAT -5.87%, KLAC -4.79%, AVGO -4.39%; Nasdaq -1.01%. UAE quit OPEC after 58 years, effective May 1. Trump rejected Iran’s Hormuz reopening proposal — Brent hit $112.70 intraday, US gas $4.18/gal (highest since Aug 2022). Powell’s final FOMC opened Tuesday. Coca-Cola (+3.86%), Visa, and Starbucks all beat and raised guidance. GOOGL/MSFT/META Wednesday — $700B AI capex on trial.
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MIB: Paper-Thin S&P/Nasdaq Records as Hormuz Re-Escalates, OpenAI Decouples from Microsoft, & Powell Convenes His Final FOMC
S&P 500 (+0.12%) and Nasdaq (+0.01%) eked out paper-thin records as Brent spiked above $101 on stalled Hormuz talks. Trump cancelled Pakistan envoys; IEA warned supply won’t recover for two years. Qualcomm surged 12% on a report OpenAI is building an AI smartphone chip with QCOM and MediaTek. Microsoft-OpenAI exclusivity ended, freeing OpenAI to deploy on AWS/GCP. Powell’s likely final FOMC opens Tuesday; Warsh Senate vote Wednesday. Verizon posted its first positive Q1 phone adds in 13 years.
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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.
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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.
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MIB: Iranian Tanker Seizure, Fed Chair Hearing, and the $166B Tariff Refund Portal Open for Claims
US Navy seized Iranian tanker Touska in Gulf of Oman, spiking WTI +4.35% and snapping the Nasdaq’s historic 13-session streak. Russell 2000 hit a record close (+0.58%) as small-caps diverged sharply from mega-cap tech. Fed chair nominee Warsh faces Senate grilling Tuesday — Sen. Tillis blocks vote as Powell’s May 15 term looms. CBP opened a $166B tariff refund portal (IEEPA duties ruled unconstitutional). Amazon commits $25B more to Anthropic in 2026’s largest AI infrastructure deal.
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MIB: Strait Relief — Record Highs, Oil Collapse, $127B Tariff Refunds, and a Fed Forced to Recalibrate
Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open,” sending WTI oil crashing 11.4% in the largest single-day drop since the war began. S&P 500 closed above 7,100 for the first time (+1.20%); Nasdaq’s winning streak hit 13 sessions — longest since 1992. Netflix (NFLX −9.72%) tanked on weak Q2 guidance and Reed Hastings’ board exit. Fed’s Waller: rate cuts viable if Hormuz stays open. A $127B IEEPA tariff refund portal launches Monday.
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MIB: Triple Catalyst Day — Iran Ceasefire Crashes Oil, Record Bank Earnings Lift S&P Past 7,000, Trump Threatens Fed Independence
Trump threatens to fire Powell by May if he doesn’t resign, rattling bond markets. Oil crashes 7.87% as Iran ceasefire extended — Trump says war ‘very close to over.’ Fed Beige Book warns gas at $4/gallon and hiring freezes spreading. IEA sees first global oil demand decline since COVID. S&P 500 hits record 7,022 — above 7,000 for the first time. Tesla rockets 8% on AI5 chip milestone (UBS upgrades from Sell). BAC, MS, BLK all post record/near-record Q1 earnings.
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MIB: $4 Gas, $113 Oil, and a Tuesday Deadline — Iran War Tax Hits Main Street as CPI Bomb Looms
Iran ceasefire talks collapse; Trump’s Tuesday 8pm deadline threatens escalation (WTI $112.87/bbl). March CPI due Friday: +1% MoM forecast, sharpest spike since 2022. Tesla Q1 delivers 358K vs. 365K expected, 50K vehicles unsold (TSLA -2.15%); JPMorgan’s $145 target stands. Trump signs 100% pharma tariffs on branded drug imports. S&P 500 +0.45% on ceasefire hope; VIX elevated at 24.17. Gas $4.11/gallon — up 38% since war began.
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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%.
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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.
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MIB: Oil Shock, Semiconductor Selloff, and Powell’s Dovish Pivot Reshape the Market
Iran War Day 31: Trump threatens to obliterate Iran’s energy infrastructure unless Hormuz reopened immediately (Tehran: demands “unrealistic”). WTI +5.39% to $105; gas $3.99 nationally, up $1.01 in one month. Google TurboQuant AI compression crushes semiconductors: MU -9.92%, LRCX -5.43%, Nasdaq -0.73%. Powell “looks past” oil shock at Harvard — rate hike odds collapsed from 52% to 2%. Russell 2000 -1.51% vs Dow +0.11% — small caps pricing in recession. Nike earnings tomorrow.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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MIB: GTC Sparks Relief Rally — Nvidia’s $1T AI Forecast, FOMC Dot Plot, USMCA Launch, and the Hormuz Oil Clock
Nvidia’s GTC keynote delivers $1T AI chip order forecast (NVDA +2.2%), snapping the S&P’s 3-week losing streak (+1.01%). Meta plans to cut 20% of staff (16K jobs) to fund $135B AI build. USMCA formal review launches — US and Mexico
begin talks with a July 1 deadline. Oil retreats ~4% from overnight highs but Hormuz stays closed. FOMC convenes tomorrow; stagflation dot plot is the week’s defining risk. Bitcoin hits 6-week high ($74.5K, +3.7%).
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MIB: Iran Holds Hormuz, Section 301 Targets 16 Nations, Private Credit Cracks & FOMC March 18 in Crosshairs
Iran’s new supreme leader vows Hormuz stays shut; oil briefly tops $100/bbl as IEA’s 400M barrel release fails. S&P 500 -1.52% to YTD low; VIX spikes to 27.29. Trump launches Section 301 probes into 16 nations as Canada’s 25% steel tariffs lock in. Private credit cracks: Morgan Stanley gates $8B fund, Deutsche Bank flags $30B exposure. Dollar General -7.8% despite earnings beat. All eyes on FOMC March 17-18 — dot plot in spotlight.
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