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Trump’s Military Draft Order and AI Jesus Image Stoke Controversy as Iran Diplomacy Tests White House

Anthony SinclairApril 20, 2026April 19, 202605 mins

The Trump administration finds itself managing multiple domestic controversies simultaneously with the Iran war diplomacy, after an executive order on automatic selective service registration for American men attracted significant national attention and the president posted an AI-generated image likening himself to Jesus Christ, drawing criticism from conservative religious commentators as well as his political opponents….

Tesla Faces Earnings Scrutiny as Cybercab Timelines and Margin Pressures Come Into Focus

Thomas ShelterApril 18, 2026April 18, 202605 mins

Tesla heads into its first-quarter 2026 earnings call on April 22 carrying a heavier burden than any equivalent point in the company’s recent history, with investors demanding clarity on both the near-term health of its core automotive business and the credibility of a robotaxi commercialisation timeline that remains the primary driver of a valuation many…

UK Economy Grew at Fastest Pace in Two Years Before Iran War, IMF Delivers Sharpest G7 Growth Downgrade

Anthony SinclairApril 16, 2026April 16, 202604 mins

The United Kingdom’s economy grew 0.5% in February, the fastest monthly expansion since January 2024, according to official data released by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday. The figure exceeded analyst forecasts of just 0.1% and came alongside an upward revision to January’s previously reported flat reading, now showing 0.1% growth instead. For the…

Morgan Stanley Posts Record Q1 Revenue of $20.6 Billion as Institutional Trading Surges

Thomas ShelterApril 15, 2026April 15, 202607 mins

Morgan Stanley has delivered the strongest quarterly performance in its history, reporting first-quarter 2026 net revenues of $20.6 billion and earnings per share of $3.43, both of which substantially exceeded analyst forecasts and pushed the stock higher in pre-market and regular trading on Wednesday. The results reflect a financial sector benefiting from elevated volatility, record…

Wells Fargo Beats on Earnings Per Share but Net Interest Income Miss Sends Stock Lower

Thomas ShelterApril 14, 2026April 14, 202603 mins

Wells Fargo produced the most ambiguous result of Tuesday’s concentrated bank earnings session, beating the consensus earnings per share estimate of $1.58 with reported diluted EPS of $1.60 while simultaneously missing on net interest income in a way that investors refused to overlook. The stock fell approximately 4.8 percent through the trading session, making it…

Oil Surges Past $100 as Hormuz Blockade Takes Effect, Putting Pressure on Inflation Outlook

Thomas ShelterApril 13, 2026April 13, 202603 mins

West Texas Intermediate crude closed above $99 per barrel on Monday as the US naval blockade of Iranian ports took effect at 10am Eastern Time, reinstating the energy market anxiety that had briefly subsided during last week’s ceasefire rally. The day’s session illustrated in compressed form the uncomfortable reality facing global economies: the geopolitical situation…

Democrats Question Trump’s Fitness for Office as Iran Rhetoric Reaches New Extreme

Thomas ShelterApril 12, 2026April 12, 202604 mins

Congressional Democrats spent the past week navigating an Iran crisis that has produced some of the most extreme presidential rhetoric in recent American political history, with several lawmakers openly questioning whether Trump is fit to continue in office and calling for the invocation of the 25th Amendment. The flashpoint came on Easter Sunday when Trump…

Trump Administration Faces Mounting Pressure as Midterm Horizon Sharpens

Thomas ShelterApril 12, 2026April 12, 202603 mins

The political calculations surrounding the Trump administration are shifting noticeably as the 2026 midterm elections move from a distant abstraction into a concrete near-term reality, with Democrats increasingly energised by economic data that challenges the White House’s claims of a golden-age economy and Republicans in competitive districts navigating the difficult arithmetic of defending an incumbent…

US Stocks Close Out Best Week Since November as Iran Ceasefire Lifts Market Sentiment

Anthony SinclairApril 11, 2026April 11, 202604 mins

Wall Street ended the week on a cautiously optimistic note on Friday, with the S&P 500 edging up 0.2% and the Nasdaq adding 0.4%, as investors balanced the relief of a fragile US-Iran ceasefire against lingering uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz and a consumer sentiment reading that landed at a historic low. The broader…

Goldman Sachs Earnings Enter a Market That Has Changed Its Mind About Everything

Anthony SinclairApril 10, 2026April 10, 202604 mins

Goldman Sachs is scheduled to report first-quarter 2026 earnings on April 13, the first major bank to report and therefore the first institution-level data point that will tell investors how Wall Street itself navigated one of the most volatile quarters in years. Goldman is expected to deliver on multiple fronts: trading revenues typically benefit from…