China Preps For War: Spy Balloon Belies Much Larger Economic Warning Signs

Latest Global Sportswear Supply Chain Read-Through Remains Bearish The S&P 500 Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods sub-industry index (S5TEXA Index), which includes names such as Nike, Lululemon, Deckers Outdoor, Ralph Lauren, and others, is down 15% year-to-date and roughly 65% from its late 2021 peak. With the index now hovering around Covid-era lows, Goldman analysts have published their latest read on textiles, apparel, and footwear, which explains why sentiment across the global industry remains so bleak.  Analysts led by Michelle Cheng reported that major Asian sportswear OEM March orders were mixed,...

Oil Spikes As Trump Vows To Hit Iran "Extremely Hard Over Next 2-3 Weeks", Threatens To Send It "Back To The Stone Ages" Summary Trump declares 'core strategic objectives met', threatens 2-3 more weeks of bombing, no mention of ceasefire Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has released an open letter to the American people, questioning whether Washington is truly putting “America First” or merely acting as a “proxy for Israel” willing to fight “to the last American soldier.” Air defenses have been activated in Dubai, taking out 5 ballistic missiles and 35 drones launched from Iran Iran's...

Qatar Dethroned As 'LNG King' As U.S. Seizes Throne, Reshaping Future Of Gas Submitted by Criterion Research President, James Bevan,  The geopolitical calculus underpinning global LNG supply through the early 2030s has shifted materially. Iranian drone strikes on Qatari LNG trains, delays to key expansion projects, and the indefinite closure of the Strait of Hormuz have created a compounding threat to Qatar's LNG position that goes well beyond a construction delay. What had been framed as a two-horse race for global LNG market share now looks considerably more one-sided. The beneficiary is clear: U.S. Gulf...