Iran War’s Sulfurous Fallout Spreads to Copper and Nickel – by Andy Home (Reuters – April 17, 2026)
The Iran‑Israel conflict has choked sulfur flow from the Gulf after the Strait of Hormuz closed on Feb. 28, triggering a global sulfur squeeze. Sulfuric acid, essential for solvent‑extraction copper and HPAL nickel processes, is now scarce as China, the world’s top producer, will ban exports and Turkey has already done so. Prices have surged to record levels, while two‑thirds of sulfur demand remains tied to fertilizers, a sector governments prioritize. The shortage threatens copper and nickel output, adding new volatility to already strained metal markets.
The Mineral Imperative, Trump, and The Art of the Deal – by Amanda Van Dyke (Substack – April 19, 2026)
Amanda van Dyke argues that while the United States has long relied on China for critical minerals, a new wave of legislation is reshaping the "mineral imperative" and strengthening domestic supply chains. Recent policies, including the Critical Minerals Act, aim...
Two Things: Breadth And Revisions
Analysts’ bottom‑up EPS forecasts for the S&P 500 have risen this year, but the gains are driven almost entirely by upward revisions in Energy and Technology stocks. The breadth of those revisions is exceptionally narrow, the weakest since the late‑1990s dot‑com...
Wayne Whaley Identifies Rare First-Ever Price Thrust
I've heard of Breadth Thrusts and Volume Thrusts, but Wayne Whaley just documented a bona fide Price Thrust for the first time I’m aware of. So even though we haven’t gotten Breakaway Momentum or a Zweig Breadth Thrust, the Whaley...
Apple Has Unusual Put Options Activity - Has AAPL Stock Peaked Ahead of Earnings?
Apple’s shares are hovering around $272.83, up roughly 1% and 10% above the March low, while unusually heavy put‑option activity signals investor caution ahead of the April 30 earnings release. Despite the rally, a free‑cash‑flow‑based valuation model projects a fair value...
IBD 50 Growth Index (Top 30 Weights) Earnings Estimates
The IBD 50 Growth Index’s top 30 weighted stocks saw a wave of upward earnings revisions in the past 60 days. Twenty‑three symbols were upgraded for 2026 forecasts versus five downgraded, with the remainder unchanged, yielding a 23:5 up‑down ratio. Cumulative earnings...
Bond Yields Stagnate Amid War Costs and Supply Surge
Despite the war's fiscal costs, increased Treasury supply, and surging energy prices, bond yields are barely moving higher. We are either in denial, overly optimistic, or labor is much worse than we think. I guess be happy if you need...
Soybeans Trading with Fractional Gains on Monday
Soybean futures posted modest gains on Monday, with new‑crop contracts up 3 cents and the cash bean price edging to $11.03 per bushel. Export inspections showed shipments of 748,678 metric tonnes for the week ending April 16, a 33.7% year‑over‑year rise,...
Corn Higher at Monday’s Midday
Corn futures rose 3‑5 cents in the front months on Monday, with the CmdtyView cash corn price climbing to $4.165 per bushel. USDA’s FGIS reported 1.669 MMT of corn exports for the week ending April 16, a 2.89% increase from the prior...
Equity Positioning Surges to Historic One‑Week High
"Our measure of equity positioning vaulted higher this week in one of the biggest 1-week jumps on record" --DB "The jump is comparable to those just after the Nov 2024 US election, and when exiting steep slumps in late 2018,...
Wheat Posting Monday Gains
Wheat futures posted modest gains on Monday, with Chicago SRW up 10‑12 cents, Kansas City HRW up 6‑7 cents, and Minneapolis spring wheat up 3‑4 cents. Export inspections showed 518,141 metric tons shipped in the week of April 16, a...
Cotton Continuing Higher at Midday
Cotton futures gained between 35 and 46 cents by midday, extending a broader rally. Managed money flipped its stance, moving from a net short of 18,845 contracts to a net long of 16,825 contracts—the first net long in almost two...
LNG Canada Nearing Full Capacity as Iran War Squeezes Global Supply
LNG Canada is set to operate at full capacity in April, loading about 15 cargoes per month. The plant’s 14.6 mtpa output will primarily serve Asian buyers as global LNG supplies tighten due to the Iran conflict. Rising demand for North...
Monday Afternoon News Updates: Negotiations or War? — 4/20/26
The post outlines a rapid escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions, noting U.S. military and civilian aircraft landing at Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Base and Iran’s refusal to resume negotiations until Washington lifts its blockade. President Trump signaled he might consider pausing...
Tesla Q1: Guidance Is More Important Than Results
Tesla’s Q1 2026 earnings are expected to deliver adjusted EPS of $0.33, aligning with consensus, but the company projects a cash‑burn of $1.96 billion, markedly higher than analysts anticipate. Full‑year guidance has been trimmed, with revenue now forecast to fall 6%...
Balancing Executive Incentives with Tax Penalties
Recent FTC action revived non‑compete agreements, giving companies a new lever to offset golden parachute tax exposure. Golden parachutes—cash, stock or benefits paid on a change of control—still trigger a 20% excise tax and loss of corporate deductions when payments...
Debbie App: Can This App Really Help You Pay Off Debt Faster?
Debbie is a behavior‑focused debt‑payoff app that rewards users for making consistent payments, turning progress into tangible incentives such as cash or gift cards. After linking credit cards, student loans, or other debts, the platform creates a realistic, habit‑driven payoff...
‘They Have Been Exposed’: The Iran War Upends Gulf States’ Security and Business Model
Iran’s retaliation to the US‑Israeli conflict has reshaped Gulf security, with 83% of its missile and drone strikes aimed at GCC countries and the United Arab Emirates bearing the brunt. The wave of attacks has shattered the long‑held perception of...
One of Warren Buffett’s Final Shareholder Letters Had a Warning Most People Missed
In Berkshire Hathaway’s 2024 shareholder letter, Warren Buffett warned that "fiscal folly"—government policies that weaken currencies—could erode the value of paper money. He emphasized that fixed‑coupon bonds offer little protection against such currency erosion and reiterated Berkshire’s commitment to deploying...
India, South Korea Working to Double Bilateral Trade by 2030: Piyush Goyal
India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal announced a dedicated South Korean industrial township and a $6 billion steel plant in Odisha as part of 16 new MoUs, aiming to double bilateral trade with South Korea to $54 billion by 2030. The two governments...
2026 May Mirror 2023 Market Gains, Says Morgan Stanley
"...We respect the “wisdom of the crowd” and appreciate that last year, markets ultimately rose more than 16% on 12% earnings growth. In fact, with the US economy no longer as sensitive to oil prices, consumer sentiment and the level...
Three Core Family Office Archetypes: Founder, Administrative, Philanthropic
Family Office Archetypes Family Offices come in all shapes and sizes, but there are common themes 1. The Founder’s Family Office Where the visionary who created the fortune still calls the shots • FO created after founder's...
Adding Context to COPA: Where Are We in The Regulation Cycle of NYC Multifamily?
In this episode Roman Sinclair of Sinclair Realty Group breaks down the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), a proposed New York City law that would give nonprofits priority access to multifamily building sales and impose a 120‑day transaction timeline....
Jambaar Capital Invests in Trashcoin
Jambaar Capital announced an investment in Trashcoin, a Nigerian digital waste‑management platform that rewards users with credits for recyclable material. The credits are stored in a digital wallet and can be exchanged for cash or used to pay utilities, health...
Apply Now: A16z Speedrun Offers $1M Funding & $5M Credits
ok - dropping big dates/news for a16z speedrun: - starting TODAY, founders can apply for the 2026 program that runs July 27 to Oct 11 in SF here's the link: https://t.co/opkX4cIaCF - we will be investing up to $1M and funding 70+ companies...
How to Navigate All Those Certifications in the Voluntary Carbon Market
The voluntary carbon market now hosts at least 66 distinct certification schemes, a modest decline after a rapid expansion post‑2020. Established bodies such as Verra and Gold Standard share space with newer entrants like Puro, Isometric, and niche players such...
Dan Loeb Dumps CSGP, Citing Reckless CEO Spending
Dan Loeb sells out of $CSGP "CEO Andy Florance has continued what can only be seen as a reckless drain on a majority of the company's operating income into Homes,com and related acquisitions even as the share price has continued to...
German Asset Manager Kauri Acquires 55,000 Sqm Parcel in Hochheim for Data Center
German asset manager Kauri has purchased a 55,000 sqm (592,000 sq ft) parcel in Hochheim for $28.2 million to build a new data centre. The facility is slated to provide roughly 40 MW of capacity and will be constructed by Kauri’s subsidiary Kauri CAB Digital...
Zambia’s Major Copper Smelters Face Extended Shutdowns, Raising Supply Concerns
Zambia’s two largest copper smelters, Mopani and Chambishi, will undergo unusually long maintenance periods later this year, with Mopani slated for a 40‑45‑day shutdown and Chambishi for roughly two months. The extended outages will sharply curtail domestic sulphuric acid production,...
UWM CEO Mat Ishbia Sells 2 M Shares for $7.5 M, Signaling Insider Liquidity Move
UWM Holdings' President and CEO Mat Ishbia sold 2,001,148 Class A shares for about $7.5 million via a 10b5‑1 plan. The transaction, disclosed on April 15, 2026, leaves him with roughly 13 million shares and 1.27 billion derivative units, keeping his economic stake sizable while...
SoFi Shares Plunge in 2026 After 70% Rally in 2025
SoFi Technologies' stock, which surged 70% in 2025, has slumped sharply in early 2026 amid a Muddy Waters short‑seller report alleging $312 million of unrecorded debt and inflated earnings. The fintech's Q1 earnings on April 29 could determine whether the decline is...
Netflix Targets $3 Billion in Ad Revenue by 2026, Accelerating Shift to Streaming Ads
Netflix announced that its ad-supported tier is on track to generate $3 billion in advertising revenue by 2026, roughly twice the 2025 figure. The projection follows a Q1 where total revenue rose 16.2% YoY to $12.25 billion and the platform added 70%...
Airlines Slash U.S. Routes as Jet Fuel Spikes to $200 per Barrel
Major carriers are trimming U.S. schedules and raising fees after jet fuel prices jumped from $85‑$90 to $150‑$200 a barrel, a move that could reshape route management and cost structures across the industry.
India’s Senior Living Real Estate Set to Surge to $158 B by 2031
India’s senior‑living real‑estate market is projected to expand from roughly $5 billion in 2026 to $158 billion by 2031, spurring investor enthusiasm for rental‑focused projects. Policy incentives and a cultural shift toward vibrant community living are accelerating the sector’s growth.
Tax Attorneys Warn Credit‑card Cash‑back Rewards May Be Taxable Income
Tax attorney Jasmine DiLucci says cash‑back credit‑card rewards are not automatically tax‑free and can increase taxable income for business users. The IRS treats cash‑back as a purchase‑price reduction, which reduces deductions and creates a back‑door tax bite. Consumers could face...
10 Tips to Get the Best Deals on Used Furniture
The article outlines ten practical strategies for securing the best deals on used furniture, emphasizing the importance of planning, thorough inspection, and flexibility in style choices. It highlights cost‑saving opportunities through minor repairs, upholstery updates, and sourcing from hotel liquidators...
Tigerless Health to Go Public via $280 Million SPAC Deal with Piermont Valley
Tigerless Health, the New York‑based insurtech, signed a business combination agreement with Piermont Valley Acquisition Corp. that values the company at roughly $280 million. The deal will roll all existing Tigerless equity into the combined entity and is slated to close...
Record Highs Test Discipline, Not Just Profit
I fast regularly — not for health metrics, but for discipline. You choose to sit with discomfort when relief is available. You make decisions on a longer time horizon than your immediate craving. As of April 17, the S&P 500 is at...
KraneShares Proposes High‑Bandwidth Memory ETF After DRAM Boom
NEW: Filing from @KraneShares looking to launch a "High-Bandwidth Memory ETF" after the smash success of $DRAM https://t.co/mKuh5PCVoA
ING Sees DXY Settle in 98‑98.5 Range as Gulf Tension Keeps FX Options Volatile
ING economist Chris Turner expects the US Dollar Index to trade between 98.00 and 98.50 this quarter, citing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and lingering Middle‑East conflict risk. The forecast signals a tighter range for FX options pricing...
New Contract Eases Backlog Fears for Overvalued PPIH
💯 concur. It’s funny.. if $PPIH barely had revenue, was hemorrhaging losses & trading at an insane valuation… everybody would be buying it on the barrage of good data center news they’ve had. Today’s contract news should alleviate concerns...
Iranian Ship Seized, Linked to China‑Frequented Fleet
Seized Iranian-Flagged Ship Was Part of Fleet That Frequented China—MV Touska is controlled by sanctioned Iranian company accused of transporting items for potential military use @austinramzy https://t.co/dNGUknky0h https://t.co/dNGUknky0h
Map Risk Allocation to Portfolio to Avoid Surprises
High level suitcoining here. This is how you talk to Boomers. Mapping risk allocation to port allocation is smart/ prudent, limits nasty surprise potential and helps behavior.
ECB Holds Off April Rate Hike Amid Uncertainty
🇪🇺ECB unlikely to hike in April. @Lagarde: « This double uncertainty about the duration of the shock and the breadth of pass-through argues for gathering more information before drawing firm conclusions for our monetary policy. » https://t.co/nkISsCK5gz
Nasdaq 100 Overextended: 8% Above 20‑Day SMA
A look at some of the 'over-extended' aspects of Nasdaq 100: $NDQ rallied peak-to-trough 17% over 13 trading days. The index was more than 8% above its 20-day SMA Friday. Stretched above the 2 std deviation above the 20-day SMA. What now? Steady,...
Oil Drops Post‑war, Gasoline Lagging Behind, Says Weatherall
"Oil prices have fallen from their peak after weeks of war have choked off the Persian Gulf, but gasoline prices are likely to descend more slowly. One of the reasons is Alex Weatherall." Very good lede and story @lydiadepillis https://t.co/xBuWzYaRt5
Warsh: Fed Independence Rests with Itself, Inflation Its Duty
Kevin Warsh is set to tell the Senate at his hearing Tuesday that "Fed independence is largely up to the Fed" and that inflation is the Fed's responsibility "without excuse or equivocation" https://t.co/tzi2zEeXj8
Historical VIX Crash Signals Calm Markets Ahead
The VIX Crash Signal: What History Tells Us About The Next Three Months | Trading Zone Ep. 100 https://t.co/05McT6SBCt
IGV Approaches Critical Level: SaaSpocalypse Might End
Is the SaaSpocalypse now over? @GuyAdami looks at the $IGV as it nears a key technical level https://t.co/gVmI3oOtYO
Amazon's Customer Moat Fuels Late‑Blooming AI Advantage
$AMZN had the customer moat. Its AI story was delayed compared to its peers, but its massive customer base was an advantage that is now coming to fruition.