- North American Morning Briefing: Futures Decline as Iran Peace Progress WeighsStock futures indicate a lower open as investor confidence is shaken by President Trump's remarks that the ceasefire with Iran is on "life support," raising concerns about the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Stock Market Today: S&P Futures Down with CPI, Middle East in FocusMarkets are bracing for the release of April’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report at 8:30 AM ET, while monitoring rising oil prices that have climbed back above $105 a barrel.
- How to Read, Interpret, and Trade the 2026 April CPI ReleaseIn-depth analysis of the upcoming April CPI print, with market consensus sitting at 3.7% year-over-year headline inflation and core CPI seen at 2.7%.
- Middle East Peace Hopes Dented; U.S. Inflation Data AheadA summary of how deadlocked U.S.-Iran negotiations and the energy price shock are influencing global markets and central bank interest rate expectations.
- The Zacks Analyst Blog: UnitedHealth, Merck & Co., Qualcomm, EVI and OptexDaily research highlights for major stocks including UnitedHealth Group (UNH), Merck (MRK), and Qualcomm (QCOM) ahead of today’s trading action.
Corporate Earnings & Deal News
- eBay Board Rejects Non-Binding Acquisition Proposal from GameStopeBay (EBAY) has officially rejected GameStop’s (GME) unsolicited acquisition proposal, characterizing the offer as "neither credible nor attractive".
- iFabric Corp Reports Record Revenue and Earnings for Q1 2026iFabric Corp (IFA) announced record Q1 revenue of $27.5 million, an increase of 288% year-over-year, driven by medical apparel and footwear programs.
- KDDI Corporation (KDDIY) Q4 2026 Earnings Call Prepared RemarksTranscript and insights from KDDI's end-of-fiscal-year financial results, focusing on new AI lifestyle capabilities and digital twin technologies.
- AMD: $600 Target Appears Too LowA top-trending analysis on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), suggesting significant remaining upside despite recent market volatility.
- Hims & Hers Health Falls as Results Miss on Both LinesShares of Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) are under pressure after the company’s latest financial report missed analysts’ expectations for both revenue and earnings.
International Market Updates
- The Hottest Stock Market in the World Finally Met Its Match: TaxesSouth Korea’s KOSPI fell over 2% after government officials suggested that citizens should enjoy a "dividend" from taxes on AI-driven corporate profits.
- India's Inflation Picked Up in April as Oil Prices RoseConsumer-price growth in India accelerated to 3.48% in April, the highest since early 2025, driven by the global oil price shock.
Deal rejected: eBay (EBAY) says GameStop (GME) offer is neither credible nor attractive.
Core CPI: Fresh inflation comes out today as the BLS releases April's Consumer Price Index.
Xi summit: Here's the full list of business execs invited to go with Trump to China.
Waive now, pay later?
The federal gas tax has never been suspended since it was created during the Great Depression in 1932, but that may soon change. With prices at the pump soaring 50% since the Iran war began at the end of March, the White House is thinking of more ways to provide energy relief to consumers. It would be on top of several other measures announced recently, like waiving the Jones Act and loaning crude from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Snapshot: "Yeah, I'm going to reduce [the federal gas tax]," President Trump told reporters, saying it would be suspended "till it's appropriate." Any suspension would need to be approved by both chambers of Congress, where support is building for such a waiver. Several states have already added to the effort by implementing holidays of their own, like Indiana, Georgia, and Kentucky.
On the federal side, the gas tax primarily funds road construction and repairs across the nation through the Highway Trust Fund. It charges 18.4 cents per gallon of gas, or 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel, with a suspension set to cost the federal government roughly $115M per day, or about $3.5B per month. While that can help consumers in the immediate term, there have been questions about what it will mean for the federal deficit and solvency in the long run.
Outlook: Despite a span of decades, with some marked by high inflation, the federal gas tax has not increased since 1993. Even before the latest discussion, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Highway Trust Fund would run out of cash by 2028. Depending on how long the federal gas holiday is in effect, that date may move up to 2027, requiring new sources of revenue like a Mileage-Based User Fee or new spending authority to keep the fund solvent. (4 comments)
Here's the latest Seeking Alpha analysis
Omnicom: Top-Tier 4.1% Yield Built On The World's Best Data Refinery
AMD: $600 Target Appears Too Low
Sandisk: Beware The FOMO Rally
$5,000 Monthly Passive Income For Financial Freedom
Microsoft: The Best Time To Buy Is When Others Continue To Ignore
What else is happening...
WSB survey results: U.S.-China ties set to .
U.S. government delays plan to ease beef tariffs after pushback.
Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) falls as results miss on both lines.
Nelson Peltz's Trian eyes take-private deal for Wendy's (WEN).
Warsh may face early market 'test' if Fed turns hawkish - TS Lombard.
Enbridge (ENB) briefed Trump administration on New England project.
AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) tumbles following disappointing earnings.
FCC commissioner calls out 'censorship campaign' against Disney (DIS).
Silver sees best day since Feb.; Modi asks Indians to pause gold buying.
UK bond market faces off with another prime minister and blinks (for now).
Today's Markets
In Asia, Japan +0.5%. Hong Kong -0.2%. China -0.3%. India -1.9%.
In Europe, at midday, London -0.4%. Paris -0.5%. Frankfurt -1%.
Futures at 6:30, Dow -0.1%. S&P -0.3%. Nasdaq -0.7%. Crude +3.3% to $101.26. Gold -0.4% to $4,709.10. Bitcoin -0.6% to $80,682.
Ten-year Treasury Yield +2 bps to 4.43%.
On The Calendar
Companies reporting today include JD.com (JD) and Oklo (OKLO).