Macro Economic Events

The US Isn't Fighting A Temporary Inflation Spike — It's Entering A 2-Year Mini-Cycle

Stjepan Kalinic — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:30:34 +0000

For much of the past year, investors have operated under a simple assumption. Inflation is gradually cooling, the Federal Reserve will eventually pivot to rate cuts, and the economy will settle back into a familiar low-interest-rate environment.

Increasingly, the data is pointing in the opposite direction. A growing body of evidence suggests the U.S. is not dealing with a temporary inflation spike, but rather entering a reflationary mini-cycle.

In a Tuesday note, Bank of America (BofA) significantly raised its probability of such a scenario, arguing that the cycle could persist through 2027 and potentially into 2028. The bank sees the middle stages of a multi-year expansionary cycle fueled by tariffs, manufacturing price pressures, and resilient domestic demand.

If that view proves correct, investors may need to rethink both their macro outlook and sector positioning.

The Death Of The Disinflation Narrative

The most immediate challenge to the disinflation thesis comes from the inflation data itself.

The Cleveland Fed’s May CPI Nowcast estimates headline inflation between 3.74% and 3.89%, while its Core PCE Nowcast stands at 3.32%.

Those data points are well above the Federal Reserve’s ...

Full story available on Benzinga.com

Trump Reportedly Moves To Revive Coal With $700M Push — ETFs, Stocks In The Spotlight

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 03:54:41 +0000

Coal-related sector ETFs and stocks could be in focus Thursday on nearly $700 million White House initiative to support the construction of coal-fired power plants and a coal export terminal, reflecting a broader effort to expand domestic energy supply amid rising electricity demand.

According to a Bloomberg report, President Donald Trump will deliver the funding for the country’s coal plants and an export terminal in California under the 1950 Defense Production Act, with lawmakers and governors from coal-rich states, including Wyoming and West Virginia, invited to the White House for the session on Thursday.

Coal-Linked ETFs In Focus

The proposal puts coal-focused ETFs on investors’ radar, particularly the Range Global Coal Index ETF (NYSE:COAL), which provides exposure to companies engaged in coal mining and related activities.

According to Benzinga data, the fund carries a net expense ratio of 0.85% and 68.26 million in assets under management (AUM) and trades an average daily volume of 77,370,000 shares. It has increased nearly 22% since the start of the year and about 64% over the past year.

Price Action: COAL ...

Full story available on Benzinga.com

Forget AI Fears: Remote Work May Be The Real Reason Young Graduates Are Struggling To Find Jobs

Tanya Rawat — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:38:23 +0000

Young college graduates may be struggling to find jobs because of remote work rather than artificial intelligence, according to new research published Monday by the New York Federal Reserve’s Liberty Street Economics blog.

The researchers found that the rise of remote work since the pandemic has made it more difficult for employers to train and mentor inexperienced workers, making companies less willing to hire recent graduates for distributed teams. They estimate that remote work can explain about 64% of the increase in unemployment among young college graduates since the pandemic.

Unemployment among college graduates under age 29 increased from 3.1% in 2017-2019 to 3.7% in 2022-2025. Over the same period, unemployment among more experienced college graduates declined slightly from 1.9% to 1.8%.

data-variant="card"
data-news-mode="manual"

Remote Work Effect

The researchers found the increase in youth unemployment was concentrated in occupations that can be performed remotely, such as software engineering and other office-based professional roles. In contrast, ...

Full story available on Benzinga.com

Emmanuel Macron Says Nebius, SoftBank Chose France As AI Commitments Reach $61.7 Billion; Son Says Infrastructure Will Shape The Future

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:17:24 +0000

France secured €53 billion ($61.7 billion) in artificial intelligence-related investment commitments from Japan’s Softbank Group Corp. (OTC:SFTBY) and Amsterdam-based AI cloud services firm Nebius Group N.V. (NASDAQ:NBIS), marking one of the largest artificial intelligence infrastructure investment pushes in Europe as the country seeks to become a leading hub for AI development.

French President Emmanuel Macron Monday said in a post on X, the investments would create thousands of jobs and help establish the country as Europe’s leading destination for AI infrastructure and development.

One Of Europe’s Largest AI Investment Waves

SoftBank said it plans to invest an initial €45 billion to develop 3.1 gigawatts of AI-focused data center capacity in France’s Hauts-de-France region by 2031, including in Dunkirk, Bosquel and Bouchain.

The investment marks the first phase of a broader initiative that could see SoftBank deploy up to €75 billion to build and operate 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity across France.

"AI is entering a new era, and the countries that build the infrastructure for this transformation will shape the future of technology, industry and society," Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son said in ...

Full story available on Benzinga.com

What You Think Should Happen Doesn't Always Happen In Real Life

Sam Ro — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:47:43 +0000

Market skeptics and commenters on social media will watch a single variable move in what they consider an unfavorable way, and then jump to the conclusion that the stock market is in trouble.

Maybe the market eventually moves as they predicted. Sometimes that happens.

But markets are complicated, and they'll often move in counterintuitive ways.

Consider the recent rally in long-term interest rates. That's gotta be bad news for the stock market, right? Not necessarily.

Stocks sometimes move higher despite rising interest rates. (Source: FRED)

In his note to clients on Wednesday, Nick Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, challenged the idea that rising rates automatically mean lower stock market valuations. From his note: "You have probably heard this sequence of statements many times: Long-term interest rates are increasing. This means that the present value of future cash flows is declining. Therefore, equity valuations should drop as well."

Colas dismantled this oversimplification, flagging two big problems with the shoddy argument he just summarized.

"The first is that it doesn't work in real life," he wrote.

He pointed at 2015 to 2019, when the 10-year U.S. Treasury ...

Full story available on Benzinga.com

Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq Futures Rise As US Undertakes 'Self-Defense' Strikes Against Iran— HPE, NVDA, UBER In Focus (UPDATED)

Rishabh Mishra — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:52:20 +0000

Editor’s Note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, and the headline were updated in the story.

U.S. stock futures rose on Monday, after a higher close on Friday, ending the month of May at a record high.

The U.S. has undertaken "self-defense" strikes in Iran on Sunday as President Donald Trump says Iran wants a deal and urges critics to stop second-guessing his negotiation strategy.

According to an update on X by the Central Command, the U.S. carried out strikes in Iran over the weekend, hitting Iranian radar and command and control sites. The strikes were in response to "aggressive Iranian actions," including the shooting down of a US MQ-1 drone operating over international waters.

Investors will keep an eye on the May jobs report this week, slated for a Friday release, and earnings from tech heavyweights like Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW), CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD), and Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO).

Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.46%, and the two-year bond was at 4.03%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 99.4% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged during June’s meeting.

Index	Performance (+/-)
Dow Jones	0.15%
S&P 500	0.15%
Nasdaq 100	0.18%
Russell 2000	-0.10%

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Monday. The SPY was up 0.22% at $758.04, while the QQQ was higher by 0.21% to $739.86.

data-variant="card"
data-news-mode="manual"

Stocks In Focus

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. (NYSE:HPE) jumped 6.06% in premarket on Friday as it is set to report its second-quarter results after market close. Analysts expect the company to report a 28.7% year-on-year rise in revenue to $9.82 billion, with a 42.11% year-on-year increase in EPS to $0.54. It also announced a new HPE ProLiant Compute DL394 Gen12 with the latest NVDA Vera CPU at the Computex 2026 in Taipei.

Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that HPE maintains a strong price trend in the long, short, and medium terms, with a poor growth rank.

Full story available on Benzinga.com

Top Economist Says There Is 'Zero Evidence' Of AI Job Losses Despite Growing Layoff Fears

Tanya Rawat — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:44:50 +0000

Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO) Chief Economist Torsten Sløk said there is “zero evidence” that artificial intelligence is causing job losses across the U.S. economy, arguing that current labor market data points to continued hiring rather than widespread displacement.

In a blog post on Friday, titled Zero Evidence of AI-Related Job Losses, Sløk cited ADP employment data and said companies are increasingly hiring AI implementation specialists while data center construction is boosting demand for workers, semiconductors, equipment and energy. He argued that the ongoing AI spending boom is supporting both employment and inflation.

Sløk also described the trend as an example of “Jevons paradox,” the economic theory that greater efficiency can increase overall demand rather than reduce it. He said cheaper technology can lead to more economic activity and ultimately more jobs.

data-variant="card"
data-news-mode="manual"

Full story available on Benzinga.com

Marjorie Taylor Greene Slams 'Fuzzy Math' That Doesn't Lower Food, Gas Prices, But Allows New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh To Lower Rates

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:41:14 +0000

Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed the new Federal Reserve Chair, Kevin Warsh, in a social media post on Sunday.

The Former Georgia Congresswoman said that placing greater emphasis on “trimmed mean” inflation would downplay the impact of rising food and energy prices on American households.

“Fuzzy math doesn't lower the cost of food and gas even if it allows the new Fed Chair to lower interest rates,” Greene said in a post on X.

Fed Chair’s Inflation View

Warsh, at his confirmation in April, urged policymakers to place greater emphasis on alternative inflation measures such as trimmed mean inflation, which excludes the largest monthly price increases and declines to better capture underlying price trends.

He suggested that conventional inflation measures can be overly influenced by short-term shocks, making trimmed mean inflation a more reliable guide for policymakers.

The Debate Over Inflation Metrics

Greene suggested that a greater reliance ...
Full story available on Benzinga.com

'Hated' Homebuilder Stocks Making A Comeback? Jim Cramer Thinks Berkshire Hathaway's $6.8 Billion Taylor Morrison Deal Maybe Small But It Has Value

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:55:19 +0000

Jim Cramer said Sunday Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s (NYSE:BRK) (NYSE:BRK) planned acquisition of Taylor Morrison Home Corp. (NYSE:TMHC) for $6.8 billion may offer investors a reason to take another look at homebuilder stocks, arguing that the deal suggests value could be emerging in a sector that has largely fallen out of favor on Wall Street.

“Berkshire Hathaway buying Taylor Morrison, small deal, but shows that there may be value in the hated homebuilders,” Cramer wrote in a post on X following news of the acquisition.

What Berkshire May Be Seeing

Berkshire’s move suggests it sees value where much of Wall Street remains cautious.

Homebuilder stocks have faced pressure from elevated mortgage rates and affordability concerns, leaving the sector largely out of favor with investors.

The acquisition could signal confidence in the long-term housing market despite near-term headwinds, where for investors, Berkshire’s willingness to commit billions to the sector may support Cramer view that value still exists in a group many investors have written off.

Berkshire Hathaway buying Taylor Morrison, small deal, but shows that there may be value in the hated homebuilders…

— ...
Full story available on Benzinga.com

Bill Gurley Says Anthropic Isn't Building Software—It's 'Midwifing A Deity'

Mohd Haider — Sun, 31 May 2026 08:34:00 +0000

Benchmark Capital‘s Bill Gurley accused Anthropic of believing it is building a superior species on Saturday, calling the AI safety firm “one of the most aggressive lobbying startups of all time.”

Gurley Sounds The Alarm

Speaking at the All-In Podcast, Gurley said, “I don’t think they think they’re writing software. I think they’re midwifing a deity.” He cited Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei‘s blog post “Machines of Loving Grace,” which envisions AI systems deciding how to allocate resources to humans, a structure Gurley called “a computational reward function for humans.”

"I've never ever seen a company that is both leading their field and the most negatively outspoken commenter on what they do," Gurley said, adding that Anthropic has helped "stir up a frantic position" around AI risks in the United States. He ...
Full story available on Benzinga.com

The S&P Hit A Record While 8 Of 11 Sectors Fell

Gav Blaxberg — Fri, 29 May 2026 21:40:15 +0000

Dell ripped roughly 30% on $16.1B in quarterly AI server sales. Eight of eleven sectors still finished May in the red. Inside: oil cracks on a 60-day Iran ceasefire, and Anthropic lines up a $900B raise.

Markets just wrapped a strong and strange month.

Here is what actually moved, what it means, and where to look as jobs week begins.

Let’s Get Into It.

Two things happened this month, and they do not fit together. The S&P 500 closed Friday at a record 7,581, the Nasdaq capped an 8% May at its own all-time high, and yet eight of eleven sectors finished the month lower. The index is green. Most of the market is not.

The split comes down to one trade. Information technology rose about 16% in May and the SOXX semiconductor index climbed 24%, while most sectors outside AI leaned lower. Dell’s earnings blowout Friday was the exclamation point. Here is the week, and the tell underneath it.

Five Stories That Moved The Market

Earnings › Dell’s AI-Server Blowout

Dell (NYSE:DELL) reported $43.8B in quarterly revenue and EPS of $4.86 against a $2.96 estimate, then raised its full-year guidance. The line that mattered was AI servers at $16.1B, up 757% from a year ago. The stock jumped roughly 30% Friday and added an estimated $62B in market value, pulling the rest of the AI hardware chain higher with it. Dell is now the clearest sign that the AI trade is widening beyond chips into servers, storage, and the full buildout.

$DELL stock is now up 69% in the last 20 days since 🇺🇸 President Trump said "go out and buy a Dell" pic.twitter.com/609RuO5BEm

— Evan (@StockMKTNewz) May 28, 2026

2. AI Infra › The Trillion-Dollar Club Keeps Growing

There are now 14 public companies worth more than $1 trillion, led by Nvidia near $5.2T, Alphabet at $4.7T, and Apple at $4.5T. Micron crossed $1T for the first time this month and AMD topped $800B, both riding the same AI demand. The concentration cuts both ways: it is why the indexes keep printing records, and why so much now rides on a handful of names.

THERE ARE CURRENTLY 14 PUBLIC COMPANIES IN THE WORLD WORTH MORE THAN $1 TRILLION

Full story available on Benzinga.com

Okeanis Eco Tankers CEO On Record Earnings And A Rapidly Changing Tanker Market

Capital Link — Fri, 29 May 2026 18:23:03 +0000

Okeanis Eco Tankers (NYSE:ECO) (OSE: OET) delivered the strongest quarterly results since its inception. According to CEO Aristidis Alafouzos, however, the real story is how quickly geopolitical disruptions are reshaping tanker economics, trade routes, and fleet strategy.

Speaking at the latest Capital Link Trending News Podcast, Mr. Alafouzos discussed the company's strong Q1 performance and broader tanker market fundamentals, including the Sinokor-Aponte VLCC consolidation, increased OPEC production, the reopening of Venezuelan crude exports, and shifting Russian crude flows away from Europe.

He explained Okeanis' strategy of maintaining near-full spot market exposure rather than utilizing time charters to maximize earnings opportunities during periods of market disruption and volatility, particularly in the Arabian Gulf market.

The full webcast can be viewed here:

Record Earnings and a Rapidly Changing Tanker Market

Okeanis reported first-quarter fleetwide TCE earnings of $93,100 per day and adjusted earnings per share of $2.33. According to Mr. Alafouzos, the quarter began with strong underlying shipping fundamentals before geopolitical tensions accelerated the market further.

"Q1 was a record quarter for us. It started with a bang at the beginning of January, with a huge VLCC consolidation," Mr. Alafouzos shared.

"This rapid consolidation of an aggressive VLCC player put a lot of strength into the market," he said.

Tanker Demand in 2026

Mr. Alafouzos also cited OPEC production increases, Venezuela's return ...
Full story available on Benzinga.com

Top Billionaire Investor Says AI, Geopolitics Matter More Than Inflation And Interest Rates: 'You Have To Be A Tech Person Today'

Fri, 29 May 2026 13:27:22 +0000

Third Point founder Daniel Loeb says AI and geopolitics now matter more to investors than traditional indicators such as inflation, interest rates and unemployment.

Speaking on the Invest Like The Best podcast, Loeb said AI’s impact on infrastructure spending, society and the economy now matters more to investors than traditional macro indicators.

Loeb Says Investors Should Look Beyond Traditional Economic Data

The hedge fund manager said geopolitics is driving oil markets, while AI is reshaping infrastructure spending, economic activity and the broader economy.

‘You Have To Be A Tech Person Today,’ Says Loeb

“You have to be a tech person today,” Loeb said, noting that technology has become a growing and compounding force that affects nearly every part of the economy.

Loeb pointed to the AI stack—from energy and infrastructure to chips, models and applications—as a useful framework for understanding where opportunities are emerging across markets.

data-variant="card"
data-news-mode="manual"
>

Read Also:

Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Dow Futures Inch Up ...
Full story available on Benzinga.com

Americans Continue Spending As Savings Rate Falls To Lowest Level Since 2022

Tanya Rawat — Fri, 29 May 2026 10:02:38 +0000

Americans saved less money in April as consumer spending increased and inflation remained elevated, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The personal saving rate fell to 2.6% in April, while personal consumption expenditures increased by $111.1 billion, or 0.5%. Disposable personal income declined by $19.9 billion, or 0.1%, during the month. Personal savings totaled $611.7 billion in April.

Inflation Squeeze

The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, rose 3.8% from a year ago in April, the highest level since May 2023. Core PCE, which excludes food and energy, increased 3.3% on an annual basis.

Higher energy, housing and food costs have remained key drivers of inflation, adding pressure to household budgets as wage growth struggles to keep pace.

Consumer spending continued to rise despite higher prices. Spending on services increased by $67.2 billion, while spending on goods rose by $44 billion during the month.

The latest data suggests consumers continued spending even as inflation ...
Full story available on Benzinga.com

Top Economist Warns The US Economy 'Isn't Just Soft, It's Struggling' As Trump's Iran War Threatens To Push America Closer To A Recession

Fri, 29 May 2026 07:30:49 +0000

Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi warned Thursday that the U.S. economy was struggling and said disruptions linked to the US- Israel war on Iran could significantly increase recession risks.

“The economy isn't just soft, it's struggling……….The Iran war needs to end, and the Strait of Hormuz needs to be reopened soon, or recession will become more likely than not,” Zandi said in a post on X.

The economy isn't just soft, it's struggling. That's the clear message in the flood of economic data released today.

Ordered from least to most worrisome:

First-quarter real GDP was revised down to just 1.6% and this includes the bounce back from the government shutdown at the…

— Mark Zandi (@Markzandi) May 28, 2026

Zandi Points To Weaker Growth, Housing And Capital Spending As Warning Signs

Supporting Zandi’s warning on persistent price pressures, American consumers paid more for goods and services in April than they had in nearly three years. Inflation rose 3.8% year-over-year—its highest level since ...
Full story available on Benzinga.com