Trending Market News

President Donald Trump purchased up to $630,000 worth of Palantir stock during Q1 2026, then publicly promoted the AI defense company on Truth Social in April as its stock declined. Ethics disclosures show Trump made at least seven Palantir purchases in March alone, some marked as 'unsolicited,' before praising the company's 'war fighting capabilities' on his social media platform.

• Trump bought Palantir stock worth $247,008 to $630,000 in Q1 2026, with at least seven purchases totaling up to $530,000 in March, before selling up to $5 million on Feb. 10
• In April, Trump publicly endorsed Palantir on Truth Social during the stock's worst week in over a year, writing the company 'has proven to have great war fighting capabilities'
• Trump also made significant Q1 purchases in other tech stocks, including $1-5 million each in Nvidia and software companies during the early 2026 selloff

West Pharmaceutical Services reported its operations are steadily recovering after a cyberattack detected on May 4 disrupted manufacturing and logistics globally. The company's high-value product sites, including its largest facility in Germany, are fully operational, though no financial impact or full restoration timeline was disclosed. The incident adds to a series of cybersecurity breaches affecting major medical device companies in recent months.

• The cyberattack forced West to take systems offline and restrict access, temporarily disrupting operations before the unauthorized activity was contained
• Key facilities including the Eschweiler, Germany site are fully operational, with standard packaging and most West Vantage sites resuming shipments
• Evercore ISI analyst expects some impact to Q2 results but no hit to full-year outlook, noting the effect is likely already priced into the stock decline

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the government will replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at a ratio of at least 1.2 barrels for every barrel released, aiming to leave reserves fuller than before. Wright attributed current high gasoline prices to efforts to curtail Iran's nuclear program and predicted prices will decline after short-term disruptions pass.

• The administration plans to refill the SPR with at least 1.2 barrels for each barrel released, leaving reserves fuller than initial levels
• Wright attributed elevated gasoline prices to 'short-term disruption' from actions against Iran's nuclear program, stating prices will 'come right back down'
• The U.S. could 'easily' double natural gas exports without raising domestic prices, according to Wright, as the country currently exports only 20% of its production

Bristol Myers Squibb announced a multi-billion dollar partnership with Chinese drugmaker Hengrui Pharma to jointly develop approximately a dozen drugs. The deal is notable because Bristol will send four of its experimental drugs to China for early-stage clinical trials, marking a shift toward reciprocal collaboration. This represents a new phase in cross-continent pharmaceutical partnerships as U.S. companies increasingly tap into China's faster, cheaper drug development capabilities.

• Bristol will send four experimental drugs to China for Hengrui to conduct early-stage trials, a departure from the typical model of U.S. companies only licensing drugs discovered in China
• Over half of large pharmaceutical companies' licensing deals have come from China in 2026 so far, up from 39% in 2025 and just 5% in 2022
• Early-stage drug development in China can study twice as many drugs in half the time at one-third the cost compared to the U.S., according to TCGX founder Chen Yu

The CEOs of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok, and Snap have been invited to testify at a congressional oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in June, according to Axios. The hearing represents continued congressional scrutiny of major technology and social media platforms.

• Four major tech platform CEOs will appear: Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Alphabet's CEO, TikTok's CEO, and Snap's CEO
• The hearing is described as a 'broad oversight' session, suggesting wide-ranging topics related to tech regulation and platform accountability
• This marks a return visit to Capitol Hill for these executives, indicating ongoing congressional focus on tech industry issues

Starbucks is laying off 300 U.S. corporate employees and closing some regional support offices in its third round of job cuts under CEO Brian Niccol. The restructuring, part of the company's 'Back to Starbucks' turnaround strategy, will result in $400 million in charges but does not affect coffeehouse employees. The moves come as the company shows momentum with two consecutive quarters of U.S. traffic growth.

• The restructuring includes $280 million in noncash charges for asset impairment and $120 million in cash charges for severance, with a review of international corporate workforce underway
• Starbucks has cut approximately 2,300 jobs across three rounds since Niccol became CEO, targeting its 19,000 U.S. nonretail workers and 5,000 international regional support staff
• The turnaround is showing results: U.S. same-store sales grew 7.1% with a 4.3% transaction increase in Q2, marking the second straight quarter of traffic growth

Magnum Ice Cream Company's stock surged 18% following reports that private equity firms Blackstone and CD&R are exploring a potential takeover bid. The company, which spun off from Unilever less than six months ago in December 2024, is now the world's largest standalone ice cream maker with a market cap of approximately $9 billion.

• Magnum owns major ice cream brands including Magnum, Cornetto, Heartbrand, and Ben & Jerry's, with quarterly sales of 1.77 billion euros ($2.06 billion) reported in April
• The stock had been trading near its December 8, 2024 debut prices before the takeover news, with analysts cautioning about uneven growth and citing the critical importance of second-quarter summer sales
• Analysts noted the company faces input cost inflation from Middle East conflicts but has buffers including favorable commodity tailwinds for dairy and palm oil

Bill Ackman's Pershing Square hedge fund announced a new investment in Microsoft on May 15, calling the tech giant's valuation 'highly compelling.' The position will be held in both the main fund and Ackman's recently launched closed-end fund Pershing Square USA, reflecting his expanding focus on technology stocks.

• Pershing Square USA, which debuted on the NYSE last month, has made Microsoft a core holding alongside the main fund's new position
• The investment continues Ackman's recent tech sector expansion, following positions in Meta (February 2026), Amazon (2025), and Alphabet (late 2022)
• Ackman specifically cited Microsoft's attractive valuation as the rationale for the investment

CK Hutchison Holdings has shelved plans to list its global telecoms business and will instead focus on selling individual assets, according to sources. The Hong Kong conglomerate had been considering a London and Hong Kong listing for the third quarter after spinning off the unit. The decision follows the sale of its 49% stake in a British joint venture with Vodafone last week.

• A listing including the Three UK asset, which was loss-making in 2024, would have been challenging in today's volatile market conditions
• The telecoms business spanning Europe, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia was previously valued at around $20 billion
• CK Hutchison is prioritizing asset sales to enhance returns, having already announced a $22.8 billion sale of most of its global ports business to a BlackRock-led consortium in 2024

U.S. President Donald Trump concluded a two-day state visit to Beijing on Friday after meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping covering trade, oil, Taiwan, and Iran. Trump invited Xi to visit the White House on September 24, signaling that trade negotiations will continue beyond this week's summit. The leaders announced agreements on a multi-year economic framework and Chinese purchases of Boeing aircraft.

• Xi Jinping stated the U.S. and China agreed to establish an economic framework for the next three years, while Trump announced China will purchase aircraft from Boeing
• Trump extended an invitation for Xi to visit Washington D.C. on September 24, though China has not yet confirmed acceptance of the state visit invitation
• Additional meetings between the two leaders could occur at the APEC meeting in Shenzhen in November and the G20 meeting in Florida in December

Stellantis has signed a 1 billion euro ($1.17 billion) deal with Chinese state-owned Dongfeng to manufacture Peugeot and Jeep vehicles in China. The partnership represents Stellantis's effort to expand production capacity in the Chinese market through collaboration with a local automaker.

• Stellantis will contribute approximately 130 million euros to the joint production project, representing about 13% of the total deal value
• The agreement covers production of two of Stellantis's key brands: Peugeot and Jeep vehicles for the Chinese market
• Dongfeng, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, will be the primary partner in this billion-euro manufacturing venture

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani agreed to pay $18 million to settle SEC civil fraud allegations related to misleading investors about bribery tied to Indian solar energy contracts. Reports indicate U.S. prosecutors may also drop related criminal charges filed in November 2024, which alleged the defendants orchestrated bribes to Indian officials and misled investors to raise billions.

• Gautam Adani will pay $6 million and Sagar Adani will pay $12 million in penalties, while consenting to judgment without admitting to the allegations
• The November 2024 criminal indictment alleged the defendants orchestrated bribes to Indian government officials and misled U.S. investors and banks during fundraising efforts
• Adani's legal team reportedly offered to invest $10 billion in the U.S. economy and create 15,000 jobs during discussions with the Justice Department about dropping criminal charges

Oil prices rose over 1.5% after U.S. President Trump announced that China agreed to purchase American crude oil following talks with Chinese leader Xi. The gains also reflected optimism about keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, though Beijing has not confirmed the energy purchases.

• Brent crude futures gained 1.49% to $107.30 per barrel while U.S. crude advanced 1.55% to $102.74 per barrel following the announcement
• Trump stated Chinese ships will travel to Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska to buy U.S. oil, but Chinese authorities have not responded to requests for confirmation
• Both leaders agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open, with China opposing militarization and tolls, while Treasury Secretary Bessent said China will work behind the scenes to help reopen the strait

Shell-led LNG Canada will make a final investment decision on a Phase 2 expansion by year-end 2025, according to Canada's Natural Resources Minister. The expansion would double the facility's current 14 million metric ton annual capacity at its Kitimat, British Columbia site, which began operations in June 2025. The decision requires coordination between the Canadian government, British Columbia, and project partners.

• Shell and partners approved hundreds of millions of Canadian dollars in May 2025 to finalize critical work including engineering, First Nations agreements, supply chain logistics, and marine terminal construction
• The proposed Phase 2 expansion would double LNG Canada's capacity from 14 million to 28 million metric tons per year
• The facility exceeded regulatory flaring limits in multiple months during fall and winter startup, though the CEO indicated this is normal for new LNG facilities and volumes should decline as operations stabilize

Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, received a $100 million investment from Winklevoss Capital Fund. This significant capital injection aims to strengthen the platform's market position and fund expansion efforts in the competitive crypto exchange landscape.

• The $100M investment comes from Winklevoss Capital Fund, indicating strong insider confidence in Gemini's growth prospects
• The funding will likely be used to enhance platform capabilities and compete with major exchanges like Coinbase and Binance
• This capital infusion comes amid ongoing challenges in the crypto industry following recent market volatility and regulatory scrutiny

Medical device maker Dexcom reached an agreement with activist investor Elliott Investment Management to add two independent directors to its board and restructure a key committee. The changes bring the total number of independent directors appointed since early 2023 to six, with the new directors expected to have medical technology and operations expertise.

• Dexcom is working with Elliott to identify two new independent directors with medical technology and operations experience, to be announced at a later date
• The company's Technology Committee will be renamed the Operations and Innovation Committee with an expanded mandate covering operations, quality, and technical roadmap
• Elliott partner Marc Steinberg cited a 'clear path to significant margin expansion' and called Dexcom's earnings growth profile one of the most compelling in MedTech

WHP Global has agreed to acquire the Marc Jacobs brand from French luxury conglomerate LVMH, with G-III Apparel Group joining as a co-owner. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Marc Jacobs will remain as founder and creative director of the brand following the transaction's close.

• G-III Apparel Group will acquire and operate parts of Marc Jacobs' global direct-to-consumer and wholesale businesses as part of the ownership structure
• The deal allows Marc Jacobs, the brand's namesake designer, to continue in his role as founder and creative director post-acquisition
• LVMH is divesting the Marc Jacobs brand, though the companies did not reveal the purchase price or other financial details of the transaction

Payments provider dLocal reported a 10% decline in Q1 net profit to $41.9 million, missing analyst estimates of $48.9 million due to a $9.7 million one-off tax charge and higher investment-related expenses. Despite the profit miss, revenue jumped 55% to $335.9 million and total payment volume surged 73% to $14.1 billion, demonstrating strong business growth.

• Net profit fell to $41.9 million vs. $48.9 million expected, impacted by a $9.7 million tax adjustment on installment products and recent investment cycle costs
• Revenue exceeded forecasts at $335.9 million (up 55% year-over-year) and total payment volume reached $14.1 billion (up 73% from $8.1 billion)
• dLocal processes payments for major clients including Amazon, Uber, and Spotify across 40+ emerging markets, with most revenue from Latin America

Investment firm Irth Capital is partnering with Papa John's largest U.S. franchisee, Nadeem Bajwa, who controls about 10% of domestic stores, to take the pizza chain private. Bajwa will make a 'significant investment' alongside Irth's $47-per-share bid backed by Brookfield Asset Management. Papa John's has been in active sale discussions for months amid struggles with rising costs and soft consumer demand.

• Irth's $47-per-share offer represents a 44% premium to Papa John's Thursday closing price of $32.72, with Bajwa's involvement adding unusual franchisee support to the buyout bid
• Bajwa operates nearly 300 Papa John's locations (about 10% of U.S. stores) and serves on key franchise advisory committees, making him a critical player in company-franchisee discussions
• The deal follows a trend of smaller restaurant chains going private to avoid public market scrutiny while resetting strategies, with Papa John's first-quarter earnings falling short due to declining North American sales

Applied Materials forecast third-quarter revenue of approximately $8.95 billion, exceeding Wall Street's $8.09 billion estimate, driven by strong demand for chip-making equipment amid continued AI and data center infrastructure spending. The company also beat second-quarter expectations with $7.91 billion in revenue versus the $7.65 billion analyst estimate.

• Q3 revenue guidance of $8.95 billion (plus or minus $500 million) surpasses analyst expectations of $8.09 billion
• Q2 revenue of $7.91 billion beat estimates of $7.65 billion, demonstrating sustained momentum
• AI chip manufacturing requires more silicon wafers and complex processes, directly benefiting equipment suppliers like Applied Materials