Dozens of Iranian Ships Have Broken Trump’s Blockade

US Core Manufacturing Orders Up For 3rd Straight Month In January After tumbling to end 2025, US Factory Orders were expected to rise very modestly in January and did so - up 0.1% MoM (as expected) with December's 0.7% decline revised up to a 0.4% decline... Source: Bloomberg Core Factory orders (es Transports) rose 0.4% MoM - slightly better than expected - and December's 0.4% MoM shift was revised up to a 0.6% MoM rise. This led core manufacturing orders to rise 1.39% YoY - the highest since July... Source: Bloomberg All the final...

Energy Drinks Become Latest Casualty As Fuel Shock Shifts Consumer Behavior The national average price for 87-octane gasoline at the pump has remained above the politically sensitive $4-per-gallon threshold for 57 days and counting, as the U.S.-Iran conflict continues to disrupt energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint. That price shock at the pump has already translated into visible shifts in consumer behavior at gas stations and convenience stores, an emerging trend we first outlined in mid-April (see here and here). Adding to the consumer story of elevated gas prices pressuring...

International Olympic Committee Lifts Suspension, Russians To Compete At LA Games In another sign of war fatigue in the West, and perhaps amid greater realization that 'punishing' the Russian people is having no real effect on the course of the Ukraine war, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has finally eased restrictions on Russian athletes ahead of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board (EB) has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) that had been in effect since 12 October 2023," the Olympic...