Market news archive — page 45

Nevada has led the US in job growth for nine straight months, with its workforce expanding about 1.9% over the past year — the fastest of any state — and accounting for roughly 12% of new US jobs despite holding 1% of the population, as it diversifies beyond casinos into AI infrastructure, even with unemployment above the national rate.

Bitcoin slipped toward $63,000 on Friday, trading on its own with US stock markets closed for Juneteenth, as traders priced in nearly a 40% chance of a July Fed rate hike following Warsh's hawkish meeting — with the US-Iran peace deal and falling oil offering only limited support to the largest cryptocurrency.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is rebounding sharply as the US-Iran deal is implemented, with tracking data showing a jump in transits, the blockade lifted and threat levels downgraded — but Iran's toll-free passage runs only 60 days, leaving the strait's long-term governance unresolved.

Knight-Swift Transportation shares fell roughly 10% this week, retreating from near 52-week highs after Citigroup downgraded the trucking giant to Neutral on valuation following a ~50% year-to-date run — a sharp pullback that tests how much of an anticipated 2026 freight-cycle recovery is already priced in.

Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to buy national homebuilder Taylor Morrison for $72.50 a share, about $8.5 billion including debt and a 24% premium — one of the first major deals under new CEO Greg Abel, deepening the conglomerate's long-term bet on US housing. The all-cash deal is expected to close in late 2026.

Fox Corporation shares fell about 25% this week after it agreed to buy streaming-platform maker Roku for $160 a share, or roughly $22 billion, in cash and stock — a deal that pairs Fox's live sports and news with Roku's connected-TV reach but has rattled investors wary of the price, debt and dilution.

A report says several UK cabinet ministers plan to press PM Keir Starmer to set a departure timetable, reviving leadership questions that have dogged his government all year — adding a layer of domestic political risk for a pound already pressured by a hawkish Fed, a stronger dollar and the Bank of England's split-vote hold.

Silver fell below $65 an ounce on Friday, down about 5% on the week and roughly 20% from its post-Fed high, as the central bank's hawkish hold lifted the dollar and yields and the US-Iran peace deal drained safe-haven demand — a sharp reversal for a metal that hit a record above $121 in January.

Nio is under renewed pressure as China's car market contracts and an EV price war grinds on; CEO William Li warned 2026 retail sales could fall 15-20%, with NEV sales down 8% in early June and 15% year-to-date even as penetration hits records — leaving the BEV-only, export-light maker exposed.

Markets turn next week to US PCE inflation (Friday), with core seen near 3.3% and headline around 4.0%, plus June flash PMIs and CPI from Canada, Australia and Tokyo — the first big data test of new Fed Chair Warsh's hawkish stance as the energy shock fades and the yen hovers near intervention levels.

Canada's May CPI, due Monday, is expected to show headline inflation edging higher on energy costs while the Bank of Canada's core measures hold near the 2% target — a result that would support the central bank's June decision to keep rates at 2.25% ahead of its July 15 meeting.

Binance faces possible rejection of its MiCA license in Greece before the July 1 EU deadline, and unverified reports that the ECB pressured the decision have raised questions over the central bank's role — though legal experts note MiCA allows ECB-regulator contact while leaving licensing to member states.

Prediction-market platform Kalshi has begun early, informal IPO talks with investment banks after annualized revenue tripled past $2 billion on a surge in sports contracts, lifting its valuation to $22 billion — though state lawsuits over sports betting cloud the path to any listing.

Amazon MGM Studios has dropped Luca Guadagnino's nearly finished Sam Altman film 'Artificial' — which reportedly portrays the OpenAI chief unflatteringly — and is shopping it to other distributors, months after Amazon's $50 billion OpenAI investment, raising questions about business interests shaping creative decisions.

A filing shows Stellantis owns a 9.5% stake in solid-state battery developer Factorial Energy, acquired by converting earlier investments at Factorial's June 5 public-market debut, with a board seat — deepening its bet on next-gen EV batteries days after road tests began in a Dodge Charger Daytona.

Oil whipsawed on June 19, dipping then recovering as Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire while US-Iran follow-up talks in Switzerland were abruptly called off — with Brent near $80 and WTI near $77, both down more than 8% on the week as Hormuz supply resumes.

An original analysis: Brent's plunge below $80 prices the end of the war, but reopening the Strait of Hormuz is likely to be gradual, with damaged Gulf infrastructure and the need to rebuild depleted inventories (US reserves at a 43-year low) potentially keeping crude near $100 — meaning the road back may be far bumpier than the crash suggests.

An original analysis: nearly every major central bank has turned hawkish under the energy shock, yet the dollar hit a two-month high after the Fed's hawkish hold while the yen slid toward intervention territory despite the BOJ's hike to 1% — because FX is a relative game, and the Fed is hawkish from the strongest position.

Nasdaq reports Elon Musk’s SpaceX targets $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, while CNBC notes the company’s post-debut stock activity and the scale of Musk’s stake

An original analysis: oil has collapsed below $80 as the US-Iran war premium unwinds, a fundamentally disinflationary turn — yet the Fed just turned more hawkish at Warsh's debut, flipping its dot plot toward hikes. That widening gap between fading energy prices and defensive policy is the defining tension of mid-2026.

Canadian space technology group MDA Space to purchase Blue Canyon Technologies from Raytheon Technologies for $620 million in cash, broadening its spacecraft capabilities.

Canada's April retail sales rose modestly, with core spending weak while the UK posted a stronger May gain, underscoring divergent consumer trends across the two economies.

Franklin Templeton files for two ETFs that reinvest dividends from U.S. stocks into Bitcoin, creating a dividend-into-crypto vehicle.

Goldman Sachs cut its year-end gold forecast by $500 to $4,900, citing a hawkish Federal Reserve and doubts over near-term rate cuts.

Microsoft disclosed a malware campaign that hijacks crypto wallets by exploiting USB drives, intercepting shortcuts, and harvesting clipboard keys to divert transfers

European and Asian shares turned cautious and US futures eased as uncertainty around US-Iran peace talks and a US holiday reduced trading conviction.

Algorand says it is developing new account and consensus designs aimed at withstanding quantum-computing risks by the end of 2027.

Indian technology shares fell sharply after Accenture lowered its revenue guidance, renewing concerns about demand and growth in the sector.

Markets turned cautious after Vice President JD Vance cancelled a planned Iran trip, prompting a move higher in oil and the U.S. dollar as traders reassessed the durability of the ceasefire and deal process.

MSCI’s latest market review has again highlighted concerns about transparency in Indonesia, according to reports from CNBC and Investing.com.

Pfizer fell after a CFO transition announcement prompted investors to reassess leadership continuity and the company’s visibility into its 2026 outlook.

Japan’s May consumer inflation data were broadly in line with expectations, with the core measure steady while headline inflation rose slightly and the core-core gauge eased.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has finalized a ban that bars convicted Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky from trading in CFTC-regulated markets or registering with the agency.

Hsiao-Wei Wang has left the Ethereum Foundation, extending a recent wave of senior departures and renewing questions around governance and the network’s direction.

Alphabet’s Waymo is recalling 3,871 U.S. robotaxis after a software problem was found that could allow some vehicles to enter closed freeway construction zones.

The U.S. dollar extended its rise to a more than one-year high after the Federal Reserve kept a hawkish tone, pressuring the Canadian dollar and weighing on the TSX.

CME Group has sued the U.S. commodities regulator over its handling of perpetual futures, in a case that also touches on how crypto-linked derivatives are classified.

Shares of SpaceX fell after an initial surge following the company’s IPO, signaling that the early rush of investor demand is easing.

Vice President JD Vance defended the Trump administration’s Iran arrangement, saying any resources would depend on full compliance as a 60-day period under the deal begins Thursday.

Federal regulators are backing a push to speed electricity connections for AI data centers, while states and grid operators warn the move could weaken their authority.

Shares of memory-chip makers rose after reports that Apple acknowledged higher memory costs, reinforcing signs that supply remains tight despite industry efforts to expand output.

Nasdaq said SpaceX has joined a small group of mega-cap names valued at $2 trillion or more, while CNBC reports the stock was also among the names drawing analyst attention and premarket movement.

Fresh U.S. data showed a firmer Philadelphia manufacturing reading in June and a modest decline in weekly jobless claims, with both reports broadly matching expectations.

Weekly US claims data showed fewer new filings than expected, while continuing claims rose modestly and prior readings were revised slightly higher.

HIVE Digital’s stock climbed after the company announced a $220 million GPU cloud agreement tied to Canada’s AI infrastructure buildout.

The FTSE 100 moved lower after the Bank of England kept rates unchanged at 3.75%, while energy and mining shares came under pressure from softer commodity prices.

KBW upgraded CME Group after reports it will sue the CFTC over bitcoin perpetual futures, arguing concerns around the products are overstated.

Pfizer said finance chief Dave Denton will leave on August 15 for an opportunity outside pharmaceuticals, with Cecile Guegan set to serve as interim CFO.

The Strait of Hormuz is moving toward reopening after a peace deal, but analysts say shipping backlogs and security checks could keep oil flows disrupted for some time.

Bitcoin held near $64,000 after hawkish comments from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh triggered a wider sell-off in risky assets, while some analysts pointed to $60,000 as a possible floor.