Futures Rise As Oil Drops, Bond Selling Slows, Meta Tumbles And Microsoft Soars

Trump Reinstates Iranian Blockade, Stuns With 20% 'Reimbursement Plan' On Cargo Transit, Oil Prices Surge Summary Trump says US blockade of Iran ports 'reinstated': states that US to be reimbursed at rate of 20% of cargo shipped for vessels wishing to transit. Strikes escalated over weekend: US hit over 140 Iranian military targets; Iran attacks US-linked facilities across the Gulf. Shipping tensions boil: Iran claims the strait is closed, but commercial vessels continue transiting under US protection. Oil prices climb: on rising risk to global shipping & energy markets, as diplomacy clearly unraveling. Strait of Hormuz...

Hershey CEO Says GLP-1 Boom Fuels Demand For Gum And Mints Hershey reported first-quarter sales and earnings that exceeded Bloomberg-tracked analyst expectations, driven by higher candy prices and resilient consumer demand. Beyond the earnings report, CEO Kirk Tanner made one very notable comment in prepared remarks: demand for gum and mints remains strong, with the category benefiting from "functional snacking" tailwinds tied to GLP-1 adoption. "We've also seen strong demand for gum and mint products as the category benefits from functional snacking tailwinds, including GLP-1 adoption," Tanner said. GLP-1 drugs suppress appetite and...

Improper US Government Payments Rose To $186 Billion In 2025: Watchdog Authored by Sylvia Xu via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Federal government agencies reported a total estimate of about $186 billion in improper payments in fiscal year 2025, an increase of $24 billion from 2024. The U.S. Government Accountability Office building in Washington on May 22, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times About $153 billion—roughly 82 percent—of this total arose from overpayments. The Government Accountability Office estimated that cumulative improper payments have reached about $3 trillion since fiscal year 2003. The actual amount may...