Finance

Fed’s First Inflation Report Under Chair Warsh Shows Prices Near 3-Year High The Federal Reserve’s first inflation report under new Chair Kevin Warsh reveals U.S. consumer price growth approaching its highest level in nearly three years, prompting market reassessment of monetary policy direction. Core personal consumption expenditure (PCE) prices rose 3.1% year-over-year, up 0.3 percentage points from the prior month — the fastest pace since September 2023. Energy price volatility was a primary driver, with international oil prices surging over recent months due to ongoing Middle East geopolitical tensions, pushing up transportation and manufacturing costs. ...

Key Points Ferrari officially unveiled its first fully electric vehicle, the Luce, marking the Italian automaker’s entry into the EV era. However, the market reaction was negative — shares fell approximately 7% on the day of the announcement. Details The Luce is Ferrari’s first production car without any internal combustion engine, featuring a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. The company claims a range of over 400 km and a 0-100 km/h time under 3 seconds, maintaining Ferrari’s performance heritage. ...

Oil Prices Fall Sharply on Iran Deal News International oil prices fell sharply on news of a potential Iran-US agreement. Brent crude dropped significantly as markets priced in reduced Middle East supply risks. Analysts warn prices could rebound quickly if negotiations collapse.

[Flash] Bitcoin Holds Above $77,000 as Oil Slide Lifts Asian Equities and Risk Appetite Bitcoin traded above $77,000 on Monday, CoinDesk reported. Asian equities rose broadly following a roughly 5% drop in oil prices, which boosted risk appetite across global markets. In a separate development, Nasdaq announced plans to launch Bitcoin options trading, marking another milestone in the mainstream financial system’s adoption of crypto assets. The move is expected to give institutional investors more regulated instruments for crypto portfolio allocation. ...

[Flash] Oil Prices Slide as US-Iran Peace Deal Hopes Reduce Supply Risk Premium International oil prices fell sharply on Monday as progress in US-Iran peace negotiations reduced geopolitical risk premiums, BBC and Al Jazeera reported. Markets anticipate that a deal would significantly lower the risk of shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. For weeks, fears of blocked passage through the strait had kept oil prices elevated. Traders are now repricing that risk. Analysts note that oil could face further downside pressure if the agreement is formally signed. Asian equities rose on the back of lower energy costs. ...

US Treasury market faces significant selling pressure, pushing yields higher and testing Washington’s tolerance for elevated borrowing costs.

Wall Street rallied with the Dow Jones hitting a record high as Middle East peace hopes boosted investor sentiment. S&P 500 on track for longest weekly win streak in months.

Fundstrat’s Tom Lee argues that trillions in upcoming IPO supply from SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI can ultimately be absorbed by the market without crashing the S&P 500. The Dow Jones has surged 300 points to a record high this week.

House Oversight Chairman Comer has launched an investigation into insider trading on prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket, sending letters to both CEOs with a deadline to respond by June. The move follows India’s recent crackdown on Polymarket. Prediction markets, as an emerging financial instrument, operate in a regulatory gray area. The probe will examine whether trades exploiting non-public information have occurred, whether platforms have adequate monitoring mechanisms to detect and prevent insider trading, and whether prediction markets should fall under CFTC oversight. ...

Indian regulators have cracked down on prediction markets, with Polymarket ceasing operations in the country. CoinDesk reports that other platforms like Kalshi could face similar restrictions. The move reflects a tightening regulatory trend for prediction markets globally. Meanwhile, Polymarket is eyeing entry into the Japanese market and has appointed a regional representative.