Public Markets 3d Briefing
×Markets & Deals
The S&P 500 dropped 1.2% bloomberg.com, marking its first two-week loss since June. Entrata ft.com is working with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan on an IPO. Oil prices surged amid escalating Middle East tensions, with OPEC+ agreeing to a 206k barrel-a-day production hike bloomberg.com for April. Dubai’s airport halted all flights investing.com after missile strikes, stranding tens of thousands of travelers. CoreWeave investing.com tumbled 10% on a Q4 margin miss, signaling AI sector headwinds. Barclays advised waiting for a 10% S&P 500 dip before buying.
Macro & Policy
Japan may intervene to buy yen bloomberg.com as speculation mounts. Ecuador is eyeing a $4B bond sale yahoo.com, while Iran confirmed Supreme Leader Khamenei’s death bloomberg.com, escalating global risks. Regional leaders warned of $100+ oil threats investing.com, and Swiss Re reported a $650M loss investing.com despite a buyback. The U.S. dollar strengthened investing.com amid strike risks, and Bitcoin fell below $64,000 investing.com after the attacks.
Corporate & Finance
Janet Truncale cut staff at EY ft.com, slimming the Big Four’s bureaucracy. Mastercard hired a Whitehall veteran to secure a UK payments contract. BofA flagged AI risks in EU stocks investing.com, while Private credit funds saw loan markdowns bloomberg.com. Starboard Value pushed for a $10B spin-off yahoo.com from First Brands, and Amazon laid off 4,000 workers ft.com, fueling "AI jobs wipeout" fears.
Geopolitics & Energy
OPEC+’s production hike aimed to counter oil rally risks. Iran’s drone/missile attacks yahoo.com forced Dubai’s airport shutdown. The Strait of Hormuz is 'practically closed' investing.com, disrupting tanker traffic. U.S. strikes killed hundreds of civilians yahoo.com, and Pakistan-Afghan clashes flared bloomberg.com, heightening regional instability.
Technology & Innovation
AI adoption in fashion is accelerating investing.com, and Google inked a $billions AI chip deal with Meta investing.com. UBS downgraded U.S. tech ft.com, favoring Europe. Core Weave’s margin miss underscored sector volatility, while Block’s 40% layoffs wsj.com signaled AI-driven restructuring.
Retail & Consumer
Publix expanded into Kroger’s territory wsj.com, and Dutch Bros focused on cold energy drinks wsj.com. Starbucks faced a lawsuit over a barista’s firing, and Amazon’s layoffs intensified retail labor scrutiny. Core Weave’s struggles mirrored broader tech sector challenges.