Baltic
Dry Index. 2665 -08
Brent Crude 106.61
Spot Gold 4743 Spot Silver 76.51
US 2 Year Yield 3.78 -0.05
US Federal Debt. 39.169 trillion
US GDP 31.363 trillion.
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake"
President Xi
Napoleon (attributed.)
For the good news about graphene scroll down to the last section.
More war is good for stocks, who knew? China, please invade Taiwan? Russia Estonia. America Cuba. Mexico America.
But wait, maybe it’s just that on a fiat currency global system, governments can simply print up currency to rig stock casinos higher.
Japan, South Korea stocks hit record high as
investors shrug off stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations
Published Sun, Apr 26 2026 7:46 PM EDT
Asia-Pacific markets were mostly higher
Monday as investors looked past diplomatic setbacks between the U.S. and Iran,
even as escalating tensions in the Middle East kept oil prices elevated.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.4% to hit
a record high, while South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.83%, also scaling a new peak.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slid 0.54%.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index slid 0.17%,
while mainland China’s CSI 300 added 0.25% after China’s
industrial profits jumped 15.8% from a year earlier in March,
accelerating from the 15.2%
surge in the first two months of this year.
Sentiment held up despite U.S. President
Donald Trump on Saturday scrapping plans to send U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and
Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan for negotiations with Iran.
“Too much time wasted on traveling, too
much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within
their ‘leadership,’” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Oil prices jumped about 2% after plans for
a second round of peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran unraveled again.
International benchmark Brent oil futures rose more
than 2% to $107.49 per barrel by 7:35 p.m. ET, while U.S. crude oil also
jumped 1.79% to $96.19.
Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz remain
high after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reportedly boarded two cargo ships near
the strategic sea lane.
U.S. futures edged lower, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures declining
0.2%, or 130 points. S&P
500 futures lost 0.3%, while Nasdaq 100 futures slipped
0.3%.
Last Friday in the U.S., the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at
record levels. The broad market index finished up 0.8% at 7,165.08, while the
tech-heavy Nasdaq added 1.63% to settle at 24,836.60. Both indexes also scored
fresh all-time intraday highs. However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell
79.61 points, or 0.16%, to end at 49,230.71.
Asia-Pacific
markets: Nikkei 225, Kospi, Hang Seng Index
Stock futures fall as Iran peace talks stall, oil
rises: Live updates
Updated Mon, Apr 27 2026 9:44 PM EDT
Stock futures fell in overnight trading
Sunday as stalled Iran peace talks and a fresh escalation in the Strait of
Hormuz pushed oil prices higher, keeping geopolitical tensions front and center
heading into a pivotal week.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial
Average fell 0.2%, or 130 points. S&P 500 futures declined 0.3%, while
Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.3%.
President Donald Trump on Saturday scrapped
plans to send U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to
Pakistan for ceasefire talks related to Iran, noting the negotiations could
happen by phone.
“Too much time wasted on traveling, too
much work!” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Nobody knows who is in charge,
including them. Also, we have all the cards; they have none! If they want to
talk, all they have to do is call!!!”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil
Baqaei said no meeting between Tehran and Washington is currently planned.
Tensions escalated near the Strait of
Hormuz after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boarded two container
ships near the vital shipping lane, a key artery for global crude flows. West Texas Intermediate futures
rose about 2% to above
$96 a barrel, while international benchmark Brent oil futures rose
about 2% to top $107 per barrel.
“While this is a modest negative, we
continue to think the conflict remains on a path of de-escalation,” said Adam
Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge in a note.
On the corporate front, five of the
“Magnificent Seven” companies are set to report results in the final week of
April, raising the stakes for a market already priced for strong growth.
Attention will also turn to the Federal
Reserve’s policy decision on Wednesday, which could mark Jerome Powell’s final
meeting as chair before Kevin Warsh is expected to take over in May. The
Department of Justice decided to drop its
criminal probe into Powell on Friday, causing Sen. Thom Tillis
to end
his block of Warsh’s confirmation.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite ended
last week at fresh all-time highs, extending a powerful rally despite tensions
in the Middle East and doubts about record artificial intelligence spending.
April is shaping up to be a strong rebound month for equities. The S&P 500
is up more than 9%, while the Nasdaq has surged over 15%. The blue-chip Dow has
gained more than 6% month to date.
Stock
market news for April 27, 2026
20,000 job cuts at Meta, Microsoft raise concern
that AI-driven labor crisis is here
Published Fri, Apr 24 2026 12:55 PM EDT Updated
Fri, Apr 24 2026 2:46 PM EDT
The more than 20,000 potential job
cuts Meta and Microsoft revealed on
Thursday, months after Amazon announced
its most widespread layoffs ever, may only be the beginning.
The same companies that are collectively
spending hundreds of billions of dollars a year to build out artificial
intelligence infrastructure to meet soaring demand for AI services are seeking
efficiencies from AI by slashing head count. They’re also still trying to
rightsize from the pandemic-fueled overhiring.
Many economists and industry experts are
fearful that a labor crisis may be upon us today — not coming
sometime in the future — given how quickly AI is sweeping across corporate
America. As of this week, over 92,000 tech workers have been laid off so far in
2026, according to Layoffs.fyi,
bringing the total to almost 900,000 since 2020
“This represents a fundamental structural
shift rather than a temporary market correction,” said Anthony Tuggle, an
executive coach and leadership expert who previously worked in AI. “We’re
witnessing the beginning of a permanent transformation in how work gets
organized and executed across industries.”
Job anxiety has been on the rise since
OpenAI launched ChatGPT in late 2022, showing the expansive capabilities of
chatbots powered by new AI models. Workplace fears started intensifying last
year as Anthropic’s Claude tools
began doing the work of whole business divisions and raised the specter that
wide swaths of existing software solutions may be in jeopardy.
Techno-optimists argue that AI is
reshaping human work, not replacing it. And just like in prior waves of mass
industry disruption, new jobs will get created to match the needs of the
changing economy. Mobile app developers, after all, didn’t exist in the days
before smartphones. And what use were IT administrators before we created
servers?
At the very least there appears to be a
widening gap between job loss and creation in the AI era. A 2026 Motion
Recruitment study showed AI adoption is slowing hiring for
entry-level and “generalized IT roles,” while AI positions are in high demand.
Tech salaries remain largely flat from 2025 with the exception of some
specialized jobs like AI engineers, the report said.
Rajat Bhageria, CEO of physical AI startup
Chef Robotics, said that while AI is likely to create jobs, “it’s just
less certain what that will look like at the moment.”
“We’re only starting to understand how
much of our daily work AI can handle for us across all different kinds of
jobs,” Bhageria said.
Meta only hinted at AI in its announcement
on Thursday. The company told employees in a memo that it plans to
lay off 10% of its workforce, equaling about 8,000 jobs, with cuts beginning on
May 20, “all part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently
and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making.” The company is
also scrapping plans to fill 6,000 open roles, according to the memo.
Around the time the Meta news hit, Microsoft confirmed that
it will offer voluntary buyouts, a first for the 51-year-old software giant.
About 7% of U.S. employees are eligible, according to a person familiar with
the plans who asked not to be named because the number isn’t being made
public. With about 125,000 U.S. employees, that could add up to 8,750
cuts.
Nike too?
Tech jobs aren’t only at risk in the tech
industry.
Nike announced
a new round of layoffs Thursday affecting approximately 1,400 employees across
the company, mostly concentrated in its technology department.
“These reductions are very hard for the
teammates directly affected and for the teams around them, too,” Chief
Operating Officer Venkatesh Alagirisamy told employees.
Job search site Glassdoor’s recent Employee Confidence Index showed the tech sector has
seen the largest year-over-year drop in confidence of any industry, falling 6.8
percentage points in March from a year earlier to 47.2%.
Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor’s chief economist,
said fewer people are quitting their jobs, fearing an unstable market, a
dynamic that comes at a cost to employee morale and career satisfaction. It
also means even more job cuts.
More
20k
job cuts at Meta, Microsoft raise concern of AI labor crisis
Finally, the insane folly of Trump’s Gulf
war. Supply disruption in oil, LNG, LPG, Aluminium, Fertiliser, Helium, Diesel,
Jet Fuel. Dollar velocity disruption. How long before the next Lehman? Approx. 29
minutes.
“You know it's serious when Pablo Escobar
says we're living on borrowed time.”
Why Can't the Stock Market See This
Coming?
Why Can't the
Stock Market See This Coming?
In other news.
US Wheat Crops Wither, Herds Thin as Spring
Drought Deepens
April 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC
Farmers across the Great Plains are
confronting an intense drought that threatens winter wheat harvests and is
pushing cattle producers toward costly feed purchases, prompting some to
abandon plans to expand their herds.
The dryness is expected to persist through spring after weeks of scant rainfall
and a late-winter heat spell that fueled massive pasture fires across the
nation's breadbasket. Drought now covers nearly 90% of Nebraska and Oklahoma,
with more
than half of
Nebraska in "extreme" drought. Such conditions have
historically driven cattle producers to sell off animals and forced farmers to
drill new irrigation wells as rivers run dry.
The coming weeks are critical for growers
in the Plains, as winter wheat begins to mature ahead of the summer harvest and
before other crops are planted. Without sufficient moisture from rainfall or
irrigation, wheat shoots struggle to fill out and produce grain. Some farmers
will allow cattle to graze fields instead of attempting to harvest grain.
“We’ve got a lot of modern precedent for these very rough conditions heading
into the spring growing season, but this certainly ranks up there with some of
the worst we’ve seen,” said Brad
Rippey,
a meteorologist for the US Department of Agriculture.
Though periodic rains have rolled through parts of the Plains this spring, the
region as a whole remains unusually dry after a La Niña winter, marked by low
snow and record-breaking warm temperatures, stripped
moisture from
the soil.
The impact is already showing. Just 30% of
the US winter wheat crop was rated good to
excellent as of Sunday in USDA data, the lowest rating since 2023. Roughly half
of the crop in Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas — the region’s
largest producers — is
categorized as poor to very poor, Rippey said, indicating a high
risk of
yield losses.
The drought is also colliding with higher
input costs. Fertilizer prices have soared following attacks on Iran by the US
and Israel, prompting some farmers to cut back on applications. US
Representative Frank Lucas, a Republican from Oklahoma, said he chose not to
purchase nitrogen fertilizer for his wheat fields in the western part of the
state.
“I didn’t have enough moisture — it
wouldn’t have done any good,’’ Lucas said. “Number two, I’m not even sure what
the cost would be.”
Farmers were under economic pressure even
before the drought threatened yields. Still, ample grain supplies elsewhere in
the world could limit any price gains. In the Plains, “moisture is desperately
needed,” Rippey said, adding that rainfall in the coming weeks will likely
determine whether the winter wheat crop will be “made or broken for 2026.” The
drought, while unlikely to impact meat prices, will also lend little reprieve
to record beef costs if it stalls the rebuilding of the US cattle herd.
Relief may not arrive soon enough.
Although the drying La Niña pattern has ended, heavy rains may
not return to the central US until its warming counterpart, El Niño, develops
later this summer. By then, the winter wheat harvest and planting window could be
closing.
More
US Wheat Crops
Wither, Herds Thin as Spring Drought Deepens - Bloomberg
Only five ships pass through Strait of Hormuz in
24 hours
24 April 2026
LONDON, April 24 (Reuters) - Only five
ships, including one Iranian oil products tanker, have passed through the
Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, Friday shipping data showed, after Iran
seized two container ships this week and the U.S. continues to blockade Iranian
ports.
Shipping traffic passing through the
crucial waterway at the entrance to the Gulf during an uneasy ceasefire between
Washington and Tehran represents a fraction of the average 140 daily passages
before the Iran war began on February 28.
"For most shipping companies, they
will need a stable ceasefire and assurances from both sides of the conflict
that the Strait of Hormuz is safe to transit," said Jakob Larsen, chief
safety and security officer at shipping association BIMCO.
"In the meantime, shipping will be
restricted to using routes close to Iran and Oman. Due to their confined
nature, these routes cannot safely accommodate the normal volumes of shipping
through the Strait of Hormuz," Larsen added.
The Iranian-flagged oil products tanker
Niki, which is subject to U.S. sanctions, was among the few vessels that sailed
out of the strait with no destination listed, Kpler analysis and tracking data
on the MarineTraffic platform showed on Friday.
----Container shipping group Hapag-Lloyd
said on Friday that one of its ships has crossed the strait but did not provide
any information on the circumstances or timing.
The Comoros-flagged supertanker Helga
arrived at an offshore oil loading terminal in Iraq's southern Basra port on
Friday, the second vessel to reach Iraq since the strait's
closure.
Iran's use of a swarm of small, fast boats
to seize two container ships near the strait on Wednesday has heightened
concerns among many shipping and oil companies.
"The latest seizures make clear, even
an 'open' Strait of Hormuz is not a safe Strait of Hormuz for seafarers, ships
and cargo," Peter Sand, chief analyst with ocean and air freight
intelligence platform Xeneta, said in a note.
Between April 22 and early April 23, seven
vessels transited the strait, six of which were involved in Iran-related trade,
analysis from Lloyd's List Intelligence showed.
The closure of the strait has disrupted a
fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies and triggered
a global energy crisis.
Hundreds of ships and 20,000 seafarers
remained stranded inside the Gulf with war risk insurers and oil companies
watching for any sign that the risks may have eased so they can prepare to sail
through.
Only five ships
pass through Strait of Hormuz in 24 hours
Genius sometimes consists of knowing when to stop.
Charles de Gaulle
Global Inflation/Stagflation/Recession
Watch.
Given
our Magic Money Tree central banksters and our spendthrift politicians.
Consumer sentiment at record low as Americans feel
impact of war in Iran
April 24, 2026
US consumer sentiment showed some
improvement amid a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, but it's still
at record lows, according to new data from the University of Michigan.
The Index of Consumer Sentiment showed
consumer sentiment ended April with a final reading of 49.8, above the 48.5
reading economists expected but marking the lowest level on record — below
readings taken during the financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and when
inflation spiked following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Overall, consumer sentiment fell 6.6% from
last month and 4.6% from a year ago.
The ceasefire in the Middle East made
Americans feel a bit better about the shock to gas prices and other prices,
Joanne Hsu, the survey's director, said in the release. The record low in
sentiment also comes as stock have hit
record highs this
week.
"In contrast, military and diplomatic
developments that do not lift supply constraints or lower energy prices are
unlikely to buoy consumers," she added.
Gas prices have increased by more than $1
on average since the beginning of the war, according to AAA.
Friday's reading from the University of
Michigan also showed year-ahead inflation forecasts rising to 4.7% in April
from 3.8% in March. That was the largest one-month increase since April 2025,
when President Trump announced sweeping global tariffs that shocked markets.
Current inflation expectations also remain
well above the 2.3% to 3% range seen in the two years before the pandemic.
Long-term inflation expectations climbed
to 3.5% in April, the highest level since last October, as Americans expected
inflation to stick around. That was higher than the 3.2% to 3.3% range
inflation expectations have hovered around for the past four months. In 2019
and 2020, it was consistently below 2.8%.
Consumer sentiment fell across all ages,
incomes, education levels, and political parties, Hsu said in the release.
Consumer sentiment
at record low as Americans feel impact of war in Iran
Borrowing costs jump at fastest pace since start of Iran war
24 April 2026
The cost of government borrowing has jumped at its
fastest pace since the start of the Iran war this week as Sir Keir Starmer
faces pressure to resign.
UK bond yields – the return offered to buyers of
government debt – have risen sharply as traders brace for turmoil for the
British economy.
The yield on 10-year gilts, as UK bonds are known,
has climbed around 0.2 percentage points since Monday as the Prime Minister is
at risk of a leadership challenge.
It came within touching distance of 5pc again on
Friday, a level which had not been since 2008 before the Iran war pushed up oil
prices.
It has pushed the difference in the cost of
borrowing for the UK and US governments to its widest point in nearly a year as
investors brace for a potential lurch to the Left in the Labour party.
The gap between British and American bond yields
was on Friday at its most stark since June last year as the economy also faces
pressure from rising inflation and the potential for higher interest rates.
The yield on 10-year gilts, as UK bonds are known,
rose to as high as 4.99pc, while the equivalent US Treasury bond yield only
went as high as 4.34pc.
At their widest point, the gap between yields
measured 0.65 percentage points, having risen for five consecutive days,
according to Bloomberg.
Bond market traders warned the gap in borrowing
costs was widening over concerns the Prime Minister would be replaced by a
candidate more likely to raise spending and borrowing.
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is the
bookies’ favourite to succeed him.
Mark Dowding of RBC BlueBay Asset Management, said:
“It seems very likely that Prime Minister Starmer will be ousted after the UK
local government elections in May.
“Angela Rayner is his most likely successor, and
she will have a job allaying bond market concerns with respect to a more
left-wing Labour Party agenda.
“In many respects, the gilt market may give Rayner
very little room for policy manoeuvre, much to the frustration of the party
base.”
Borrowing costs jump at fastest
pace since start of Iran war
Technology
Update.
With events happening fast in the
development of solar power and graphene, among other things, I’ve added this
section Updates as they get reported.
Graphene kills harmful bacteria “superbugs”
but spares human cells
Date: April 26, 2026
Source: The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology (KAIST)
Summary: Scientists have uncovered how graphene oxide
pulls off a remarkable trick: it hunts down and destroys harmful bacteria while
leaving human cells completely unharmed. By targeting a molecule found only in
bacterial membranes, this ultra-thin carbon-based material acts with laser-like
precision—offering a powerful new alternative to traditional antibiotics. Even
more exciting, it works against drug-resistant “superbugs,” promotes faster
wound healing, and keeps its antibacterial strength even after repeated washing.
Hygiene is essential for
everyday items that come into close contact with the body, including clothing,
masks, and toothbrushes. Scientists have now uncovered how graphene can
selectively eliminate bacteria while leaving human cells unharmed. This discovery
points to a new class of antibacterial materials that could be both safe for
people and capable of reducing reliance on traditional antibiotics.
Recently, KAIST announced
that a collaborative research team led by Professor Sang Ouk Kim from the
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Hyun Jung Chung
from the Department of Biological Sciences identified the mechanism behind the
antibacterial properties of Graphene Oxide (GO). This material consists of a
single atomic layer of carbon with oxygen groups attached, giving it the
ability to disperse well in water and perform a range of functions.
Until now, scientists did not
fully understand how graphene achieved its antibacterial effects. This study
provides clear molecular-level evidence explaining how the material works.
Selective Antibacterial Action Explained
The researchers found that
graphene oxide carries out what they describe as "selective antibacterial
action." It attaches to and disrupts the membranes of bacteria while
leaving human cells unaffected. The process is similar to how a magnet only
sticks to certain metals.
This selectivity comes from
oxygen-containing groups on the surface of graphene oxide. These groups bind
specifically to a molecule called POPG, which is found in bacterial cell
membranes but not in human cells. In simple terms, graphene oxide identifies a
unique feature of bacteria, attaches to it, and breaks down the cell structure.
Phospholipids make up the membrane surrounding cells, and POPG is a type mainly
present in bacteria.
Effective Against Superbugs and Promotes Healing
When applied in nanofiber
form, this material was able to stop the growth of a wide range of harmful
bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Tests in animals also
showed that it helped wounds heal more quickly without causing inflammation.
Another advantage is
durability. Fibers made with graphene oxide retained their antibacterial
properties even after repeated washing, suggesting strong potential for use in
clothing, medical fabrics, and other practical applications.
More
Graphene kills harmful bacteria “superbugs” but
spares human cells | ScienceDaily
Next, the
world global debt clock. Nations debts to GDP compared.
World Debt Clocks
(usdebtclock.org)
No country without an atom bomb could properly consider itself
independent.
Charles de Gaulle
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