Author: starbpo

The majority of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have been stopped and then reinstated by federal courts in the last 24 hours, but the import taxes he has imposed on specific industries and is poised to levy on others are unaffected by the rulings. According to a report released by ING strategists on Thursday, “We expect the pace of sector-based tariffs to accelerate, with additional measures likely to be announced soon,” following the Court of International Trade’s decision to block the Trump charges that targeted nations rather than industries. “In this regard, we warn against too much relief or even…

It’s possible that President Donald Trump has just lost a crucial tool to help him get his expansive tax and spending plan approved by Congress: the assurance that tariffs will generate hundreds of millions of dollars. With slim majorities in both chambers of Congress, the White House is relying on every Republican to support Trump’s megabill, which would double the state and local tax deduction, increase funds for border security, and prolong the tax cuts from 2017. Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it would raise the federal budget deficit. Fiscal hawks are uneasy about that. The bill, known…

At Wednesday’s Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas, Vice President J.D. Vance launched a salvo in a developing culture war within the tech industry by characterizing artificial intelligence as a “communist technology” and portraying cryptocurrency as a counterweight that promotes freedom. The remarks highlight concerns that tech developments coming out of Silicon Valley could have significant and long-lasting effects on the partisan balance of power in Washington, and they are meat for a crypto community that has come to hate President Joe Biden’s administration and its stance on regulating digital assets. Although it’s a bit of a “overstatement” to suggest that…

It doesn’t appear that Moody’s decision to downgrade the rating of US government debt will have a significant impact on the corporate bond market. In a phone interview on Monday, Luis Alvarado, global fixed-income strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, stated that the downgrade would create “a little bit of noise,” with long-term Treasurys becoming more sensitive to worries about U.S. fiscal deterioration. However, he stated that corporate credit should be “fairly guarded” against Moody’s removing the U.S. from its triple-A rating, in part because corporations’ balance sheets generally seem to be in good shape, even though “knee-jerk” reactions caused…

Following a report that Israel is preparing for a potential strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, crude oil prices increased Tuesday evening. The U.S. has received intelligence indicating Israel is preparing for a possible airstrike on Iranian nuclear sites, including munitions shipments and air drills, CNN said, citing several U.S. officials. Tuesday night saw a quick 3.5% increase in West Texas Intermediate crude futures for July (CLN25), breaking above $64 per barrel, before resettling at about $63 per barrel, up 1.6%. Last time out, Brent crude for July (BRNN25) hit $66 a barrel, up 1.5%. An Israeli strike might escalate Middle…

If you listen closely, you can hear the markets “whispering big breakout or breakdown for risk assets coming soon.” In a Friday letter to clients, Bank of America strategist Michael Hartnett outlined the three “Bs” that will best predict the course that those deemed riskier assets—of which stocks are a part—will take. He cautions that double peaks appearing in the charts of these risk leaders—brokerage stocks XBD, bank stocks IXG, and bitcoin (BTCUSD)—would be extremely negative, whereas clean, upside breaks would be a very positive indication. When a chart peaks at the same level twice without breaking out to higher…

The U.S. hotel industry is suffering from a decline in incoming foreign travel as well as fluctuations in consumer and corporate confidence. According to analysts at Truist Securities, that might continue for the remainder of 2025. In light of this, analyst C. Patrick Scholes cut Airbnb Inc.’s stock (ABNB) to sell from hold and lowered the majority of his profit forecasts for businesses in the industry. Because he thinks Airbnb investors aren’t completely understanding the “soft summer leisure trends” for both the U.S. and Europe, Scholes became pessimistic. He lowered his price estimate for the stock from $112 to $106…

“Screw the customer” was the model. Trick people, make them buy something, invite them, and then charge them a ton of unexpected costs. Legalese-buried disclosures Scott Kirby, CEO of United During the Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything festival on Thursday, Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines Holdings Inc. (UAL), was criticized for the low-cost airline business model. When Kate Linebaugh of the Journal asked him what he thought of the budget model, he said, “It’s dead. It’s a bad model, you see. I apologize. While some carriers may have had success with this low-cost airline strategy in the…

President Donald Trump will address a rally in Pittsburgh on Friday to formally announce a partnership between the U.S. steelmaker and Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp., bringing the story of U.S. Steel Corp. one step closer to its conclusion. According to reports, the U.S. government will hold a special class of shares, known as “golden shares,” as part of the “planned partnership,” which Trump originally discussed on Truth Social a week ago. This will give the government more control over future U.S. Steel (X) operations. No other information about the agreement has surfaced. In actuality, a golden share is any kind…

May has seen a sharp increase in megacap technology companies as investors look to move past the recent tariff turmoil and Nvidia Corp.’s impending earnings. The IT companies have recently had the last say on whether or not the stock market had a solid quarter, even though U.S. banks may start earnings season and help set the tone. In light of this, Nvidia’s (NVDA), the artificial intelligence darling, has a particular place on the week’s itinerary for its fiscal first-quarter earnings on Wednesday. According to FactSet, Nvidia’s stock increased 3.1% on Tuesday, the day before its quarterly results were expected,…