‘Coalition of the Willing’ Meets as Ukraine War Begins Fifth Year

US Services Surveys Disappoint In April Amid Stench Of Stagflation Despite Manufacturing surveys solid (and US factory orders surging), expectations are for the Services sector surveys today to show stagflationary signals (weak growth, surging prices). S&P Global's Services PMI disappointed in April (final), falling from its flash print of 51.3 to 51.0, but still up from multi-year lows below 50 in March, showing just marginal activity growth despite weak drop in sales volumes. ISM Services PMI also disappointed in April, falling from 54.0 to 53.6 (vs 53.7 exp) amid tumbling new orders and...

Iran's Tolling Regime On Hormuz Chokepoint Would Set "Dangerous Precedent," IMO Warns The ceasefire deal in the six-week US-Iran conflict remained in doubt by late week, as Israel intensified its bombardment of Beirut, Tehran kept the Hormuz chokepoint closed, and negotiators prepared to meet on Friday even as both sides declared victory. Reports of attacks on one of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports, alongside the continued closure of Hormuz, did little to reassure traders in the overnight session. Risk sentiment remained fragile on Thursday morning, with equities across Asia and Europe...

President Trump is expected to unveil his request for a $1.5 trillion military budget for the 2027 fiscal year on Thursday, Reuters has reported, marking a 50% increase from this year’s already massive budget. The 2026 military budget marked the first to officially exceed $1 trillion, which was achieved by Congress passing a 2026 National Defense […]