Every atomic assertion extracted from the underlying record, ranked by evidence strength.
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski stated that higher gas prices linked to the Iran war were disproportionately hurting low income consumers.
If the Russians have nothing to show for their efforts, things might start crumbling in some places.
This level of industry decline is similar to what was observed during the global financial crisis and even higher than during other recessionary periods.
S&P 500 forward earnings has been rising at an accelerating pace.
The world has burned through oil inventories at a record speed as the Iran war throttles flows from the Persian Gulf.
The capital markets are lining up a solid list of private companies to go public.
Corporate cash use is shifting toward capex and acquisitions, and away from stock repurchases and dividends.
Losses of Russian soldiers are running at 35,000 a month.
Consumer-facing stocks are significantly underperforming the market right now.
This could create opportunities for those investors wanting to build a return to normal oil price stock basket or even for a GP looking to acquire one of their most favorite brands.
Many names are expected in the news through month-end as IPO buyers scramble to get the shares they want.
Any big gains will fuel the future mega-AI IPO listings expected later this summer and into year-end.
A Super El Niño is building in the Pacific Ocean which will scramble the earth's weather for the next 18 months.
Temperatures are forecast to top 90 degrees for 60 million people and 100 degrees for 13 million more.
The most important thing in the market right now remains earnings outlooks which continue to move higher.
Upward revisions to consensus 2026 and 2027 earnings estimates have been impressive, as companies have been reporting stronger-than-expected earnings results.
The consensus 2027 estimate for S&P 500 earnings is already at $386.70.
Rising earnings expectations are broadening out into the middle and smaller cap companies in recent weeks.
Cash spending forecasts point to a continuation of the trend toward investing for growth.
S&P 500 capex spending is forecasted to be $2 trillion in 2026, a 33% increase vs. 2025.
Cash M&A should grow by +80% in 2026.
In 2027, a slowing pace of hyperscaler capex growth is expected to cause a deceleration in aggregate S&P 500 capex spending.
Investors are in a rewarding mood for those investing into new growth areas right now.
Hyperscaler CapEx is expected to grow 60-70% this year.
This rapid expansion in CapEx spending is driving strong price momentum, and economic and earnings growth.
S&P 500 companies tied to AI were spending roughly $550 billion on R&D and CapEx in 2023.
Spending by S&P 500 companies tied to AI is now expected to grow to $1.3-1.4 trillion over the next year.
If spending from all players including adjacent industries is included, annual tech investments should be over $2 trillion.
By 2027, spending will likely approach levels comparable to global military spending.
Roughly 20% of S&P 500 companies are tied to tech hardware and semis, benefiting from the spending.
Hyperscalers plus a few private players are driving >80% of the CapEx spending.
Companies should earn a significant ROI when new compute capacity comes online.
The market is really rewarding the makers of the picks and shovels right now.
Texas Instruments and NXP both issued upbeat guidance for the current quarter.
Texas Instruments is set to launch its second round of price hikes this year.
NXP is reportedly preparing an increase as soon as June.
TI attributes the price increases to market conditions and rising supply chain costs.
The rapidly shrinking stockpiles mean that the risk of even more extreme price spikes and shortages is getting ever-closer.
More than a billion barrels of supply have been lost two months into the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment declined by 1.6pt to 48.2 in the May preliminary report.
This level (48.2) would be the lowest in the survey's history if it holds in the final report.
About one-third of consumers spontaneously mentioned gasoline prices.
Consumers continue to feel buffeted by cost pressures, led by soaring prices at the pump.
Middle East developments are unlikely to meaningfully boost sentiment until supply disruptions have been fully resolved and energy prices fall.
Overall foot traffic to restaurants was down approximately 1.9% in the quarter, per Black Box.
McDonald's warned of a weak start to its second quarter.
Several U.S. restaurant chains such as Shake Shack, Papa John's, Wingstop and Domino's have reported weaker quarterly sales growth, citing a fallout from the Iran war.
The weak housing market had a hand in major negative earnings surprises at Installed Building Products (IBP) and Whirlpool.
IBP's total residential sales fell 10%.
Whirlpool's 1Q sales were down 10% y/y.
The US appliance industry demand declined 7.4% in Q1, with March being down 10%.
Consumer sentiment has dropped to its lowest level in 50 years.
The war in Iran amplified consumer concerns about the cost of living.
The consumer sentiment index in the US plunged, reaching the lowest level on record in March.
Whirlpool's cash crunch has gotten so severe that it is suspending its dividend payment until further notice.
Whirlpool had paid a dividend through 10 U.S. recessions and every global crisis since the 1950s.
Whirlpool's shares plunged more than 20% before settling down 12% on Thursday.
Whirlpool's stock has dropped more than 80% over the past five years.
Whirlpool blames the Iran war for driving U.S. consumer confidence to 50-year lows.
Data center construction spending remains strong, with the lead over general office construction widening.