Public Markets 24 Hours

Last updated: May 16, 2026, 2:31 PM ET

Fixed Income & Bonds

Global bond markets extended their slide as inflation fears intensified on concerns over the Iran war, with the 30-year U.S. Treasury yield closing at its highest level since 2007. The bond rout has deepened, pushing the 10-year Treasury yield to nearly 4.6% on Friday, its most elevated point in over a year, threatening to knock the AI stock rally off course as investors weigh the tension between炽热的科技行情和不断上升的借贷成本。The global bond selloff has now caught up with Wall Street's risk rally, forcing traders to reassess portfolio allocations as yields climb across developed markets.

IPO Pipeline

The IPO market continues to heat up, with SpaceX planning to go public on June 12 in one of the most anticipated listings in recent memory. Meanwhile, bike-sharing app Lime is targeting a $2 billion valuation, which would price the Uber-backed company at 28 times last year's operating profit, signaling strong investor appetite for mobility startups. In the data center infrastructure space, Erock filed for a U.S. IPO, disclosing increasing revenue but widening losses as the modular power systems maker rides the AI infrastructure boom. Forbright Inc. also filed for an IPO, pitching its focus on middle-market lending and digital consumer banking as it seeks public market capital.

M&A Activity

A potential blockbuster utility merger is in the works, with NextEra Energy in discussions to combine with Dominion Energy in a mostly stock deal that would create a $400 billion U.S. utility giant. The talks come amid booming electricity demand from AI data centers, as power-hungry computation facilities drive consolidation in the sector. Elsewhere, VinFast Auto plans to shed approximately $6.9 billion in debt through the sale of two Vietnamese factories, looking to strengthen its balance sheet as the electric vehicle maker navigates a challenging market.

Berkshire Hathaway Activity

Berkshire Hathaway has been actively reshuffling its portfolio, selling about $8 billion worth of Chevron shares in the first quarter as the oil giant's stock reached record highs—a classic value investor move to lock in profits. In a contrasting move, Berkshire amassed a $2.6 billion stake in Delta Airlines, reigniting its complicated relationship with the airline industry during CEO Greg Abel's first quarter at the helm. The company also invested in Delta while exiting positions in Amazon, Mastercard, Visa, and United Health, demonstrating a significant reallocation of capital.

Defense & Industrials

Mercedes-Benz's CEO indicated the carmaker is willing to enter defense production, marking another German manufacturer seeking to recast itself as a major player in Western defense capabilities as Europe ramps up military spending. In the aerospace sector, Boeing shares slid after President Trump's China summit yielded fewer concrete deals than markets had hoped, though Trump announced China would purchase 200 aircraft—a deal Beijing has not confirmed, which would be a major win for Boeing in one of the world's largest aviation markets.

Central Banks

As Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell prepares to hand the baton to Kevin Warsh, the central bank confronts what analysts describe as "regime change" under Trump's pick, who says the institution needs an overhaul. In Europe, ECB Governing Council member Yannis Stournaras said a modest rate increase could temper inflation without causing significant economic damage, offering a dovish outlook on monetary tightening. Meanwhile, UK gilts are proving not to be the outlier they appear, as British government bonds track the broader global selloff rather than acting as a safe haven.

Currency & Trade

India tightened rules for silver imports as part of measures to preserve foreign-exchange reserves and defend the rupee after the currency sank to an all-time low—reflecting broader emerging market currency pressures. The Trump administration is considering a $1.7 billion fund for allies investigated under Biden, though critics denounced the highly unusual plan as a political slush fund. Meanwhile, Trump touted "fantastic trade deals" with China following his Beijing summit, but concrete details remain scarce beyond potential agricultural and energy purchases.

Private Markets

U.S. federal prosecutors are scrutinizing BlackRock's private credit fund, with Wall Street's top cops examining valuation practices at BlackRock TCP Capital Corp—a sign of increasing regulatory focus on the $1.5 trillion private credit market. The scrutiny comes as investors eye bargains in business-development companies trading at premiums to underlying asset value, though experts caution on due diligence. For those seeking hot pre-IPO companies, experts advise proceeding with caution as adding slivers of the hottest private companies to portfolios can be far more tricky than buying stocks—particularly after Anthropic rattled users of secondary-share platforms by questioning whether retail investors actually own shares in the AI giant.