Trump administration urges US Postal Service to scrap 100-year-old rule as Democratic state attorneys general protest Handguns could be mailed through the United States Postal Service (USPS) for the first time in nearly 100 years if a proposed Trump administration rule takes effect. Democratic attorneys general in two dozen states have sent a letter in opposition. Continue reading...
Trump administration urges US Postal Service to scrap 100-year-old rule as Democratic state attorneys general protest Handguns could be mailed through the United States Postal Service (USPS) for the first time in nearly 100 years if a proposed Trump administration rule takes effect. Democratic attorneys general in two dozen states have sent a letter in opposition. Continue reading...
Spencer Platt/Getty Images News NEW YORK (May 8) - The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today reported 115,000 new private sector jobs were created in April, according to the Establishment Survey , a collection of job creation data from businesses replying to the survey. The print well exceeded the consensus estimate of 65,000. Government reduced the number of jobs it provided by 8,000, according ...
Spencer Platt/Getty Images News NEW YORK (May 8) - The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today reported 115,000 new private sector jobs were created in April, according to the Establishment Survey , a collection of job creation data from businesses replying to the survey. The print well exceeded the consensus estimate of 65,000. Government reduced the number of jobs it provided by 8,000, according to the report, so that total nonfarm private sector jobs printed at 123,000. February and March revisions resulted in a net 16,000 fewer jobs. For the three months from February, 2026, average monthly jobs creation has been just a moribund 48,000 jobs per month, affirming our view in prior jobs and GDP reports that economic growth is tepid, at best. The BLS’s Household Survey , which polls the number of people taking jobs, and is viewed as eliminating workers holding more than one job, printed worse than the Establishment Survey, showing 226,000 jobs lost. The unemployment rate held steady 4.3%, but the U6 rate hit 8.2%, up 20 bps. The “U6” is the percentage of the population that is unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force. Some 92,000 people left the civilian labor force. The Labor Force Participation Rate , as measured by the Household Data, fell to just 61.8%, the lowest since, October, 2021 . Let’s look at our exclusive schedule of March (in red) and April (in green) Jobs Creation by Average Weekly Wages: March & April Jobs Creation by Average Weekly Wages (The Stuyvesant Square Consultancy (from BLS data)) Economy Generally The onset of the Iran War has significantly altered the outlook for the economy. Any war where the U.S. is a combatant would, but a war in the Persian Gulf is to the global economy affects the global economy. Gasoline fuel prices are up $1.39 over their prices last year. Prices for Nitrogen fertilizer , derived fro...
Earnings Call Insights: Geospace Technologies (GEOS) Q2 2026 Management view CEO Richard Kelley said the company reported $19.7 million of revenue and a net loss of $11.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, while emphasizing that “our recent results reflect near-term market pressures” but “do not change our longer-term plan for diversification and growth.” CEO Kelley highlighted new acti...
Earnings Call Insights: Geospace Technologies (GEOS) Q2 2026 Management view CEO Richard Kelley said the company reported $19.7 million of revenue and a net loss of $11.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, while emphasizing that “our recent results reflect near-term market pressures” but “do not change our longer-term plan for diversification and growth.” CEO Kelley highlighted new activity outside traditional oil and gas, saying, “We also recognized revenue with the Heartbeat Detector subscription model,” and added, “we are leveraging our contract manufacturing expertise to pursue white label product developments and manufacturing in smart water technologies.” CEO Kelley discussed seismic and PRM execution, saying, “Despite lower utilization of our ocean bottom node fleet, we are seeing increased interest for the summer survey season,” and “as planned, we recognized our first revenue from the previously announced permanent reservoir monitoring, or PRM project as initial manufacturing activities began in Houston.” CEO Kelley said geopolitical conditions are affecting business development, noting, “the conflict in the Middle East has delayed potential future business due to travel restrictions and regional uncertainty,” while also stating, “we have maintained positive North American interest in our Pioneer land node solution.” CEO Kelley announced a major cost action: “we implemented a workforce reduction of approximately 20%” and said, “Combined with other cost reduction efforts, we expect to generate annualized cost savings of roughly $12 million.” CFO Robert Curda reiterated the company’s stance on guidance: “we will not provide any specific revenue or earnings guidance during our call this morning.” Outlook Management did not issue revenue or earnings guidance; CFO Robert Curda said, “we will not provide any specific revenue or earnings guidance during our call this morning.” On the Petrobras PRM program duration and revenue cadence, CFO Curda said, “w...
President Donald Trump has changed his approach as he tries to end the war against Iran: reopen the Strait of Hormuz at all costs and leave thorny negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs until later. That strategy has seen the ceasefire between the US and Iran tested as the two sides traded fire in recent days after Trump ordered US warships to provide cover for merchant ve...
President Donald Trump has changed his approach as he tries to end the war against Iran: reopen the Strait of Hormuz at all costs and leave thorny negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs until later. That strategy has seen the ceasefire between the US and Iran tested as the two sides traded fire in recent days after Trump ordered US warships to provide cover for merchant vessels transiting the strait, and then abruptly shelved “Project Freedom” on Tuesday. Iran also targeted oil facilities in the nearby United Arab Emirates. While Trump has repeatedly said eliminating Iran’s nuclear program is the main justification for the conflict in the Middle East, the vital waterway for oil and gas flows has emerged as a far more pressing facet of the conflict — and a key source of leverage for Tehran as diplomacy continues. “The Trump administration just desperately wants out of this war, and the sole objective that they now really have is establishing some navigation within the strait,” said David Tannenbaum, a director at Blackstone Compliance Services, a consulting firm focused on sanctions. “I’m even wondering if Iran’s nuclear program is actually on the table.” The administration said it is. “President Trump has all the cards as negotiations continue, and he wisely keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Bloomberg. With global energy prices soaring, US officials said this week the war against Iran is formally over with the ceasefire in place and talks ongoing, despite the repeated clashes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters this week the US wants to push back negotiations to free up Hormuz. “What the president would prefer is a deal,” Rubio told reporters at the White House. “He would prefer to sit down, work out a memorandum of understanding for future negotiations that touches on all the key topics that have to be addressed. A full opening of the ...
Iren (NASDAQ:IREN) , which develops and operates renewable-powered data centers for Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) mining and AI cloud services, closed Friday at $61.2, up 7.65%. The stock moved higher after announcing a multi-year partnership with Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and unveiling major AI cloud expansion plans. Investors are closely watching the ramp-up of contracted AI infrastructure deals and integrati...
Iren (NASDAQ:IREN) , which develops and operates renewable-powered data centers for Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) mining and AI cloud services, closed Friday at $61.2, up 7.65%. The stock moved higher after announcing a multi-year partnership with Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and unveiling major AI cloud expansion plans. Investors are closely watching the ramp-up of contracted AI infrastructure deals and integration of recent acquisitions. Trading volume reached 108.3 million shares, coming in about 187% above its three-month average of 37.7 million shares. Iren IPO'd in 2021 and has grown 150% since going public. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) rose 0.84% to 7,399, while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) gained 1.71% to finish at 26,247. Both closed at new record highs. Among vertically integrated data center and digital infrastructure peers, Mara Holdings (NASDAQ:MARA) closed at $12.94, up 1.89%, while Riot Platforms (NASDAQ:RIOT) ended at $24.08, down 0.12%, reflecting mixed sentiment around AI pivots. Iren struck a deal with Nvidia to roll out up to 5 gigawatts of Nvidia's infrastructure designs , aimed at powering artificial intelligence tasks in Iren's data center facilities worldwide. The agreement will give Nvidia the right to purchase up to 30 million shares of Iren stock at an exercise price of $70 per share, or up to about $2.1 billion. Continue reading
Trump Media & Technology Group press release ( DJT ): Net loss of $405.9M and Adjusted EBITDA loss of $387.8M for the first quarter of 2026, the vast bulk of which was non-cash losses including unrealized losses on digital assets, digital assets pledged, and equity securities ($368.7M), accreted interest ($11.5M), and stock based compensation ($11.8M). The company posted $0.9M in revenue. TMTG clo...
Trump Media & Technology Group press release ( DJT ): Net loss of $405.9M and Adjusted EBITDA loss of $387.8M for the first quarter of 2026, the vast bulk of which was non-cash losses including unrealized losses on digital assets, digital assets pledged, and equity securities ($368.7M), accreted interest ($11.5M), and stock based compensation ($11.8M). The company posted $0.9M in revenue. TMTG closed the first quarter of 2026 with total assets of $2.2 billion and financial assets of approximately $2.1 billion comprising cash, restricted cash, short-term investments, equity securities, note receivable and accrued interest, digital assets, and digital assets pledged—nearly tripling the Company’s $759.0 million in financial assets held at the end of the first quarter of 2025. The Company also announced its fourth consecutive quarter of positive operating cash flow, posting $17.9 million of cash provided by operating activities for the first quarter. More on Trump Media & Technology Group Trump Media: Sell It And Forget It Is It A Market Correction Or A Reallocation? Trump Media & Technology Group: Another Awful Report Trump Media & Technology Group reports FY25 results Trump Media plans to spin off units including Truth Social into new publicly-traded company
Olga Yastremska/iStock via Getty Images Invesco S&P 500 Eql Wght Con Staples ETF ( RSPS ) and Invesco S&P 500 Eql Wght Con DiscrtN ETF ( RSPD ) are both covered in this analysis, as I raise a few points of discussion on the consumer staples versus discretionary trade. The market has recovered strongly in April, leading to outperformance in discretionary stocks. However, I see scope for outperforma...
Olga Yastremska/iStock via Getty Images Invesco S&P 500 Eql Wght Con Staples ETF ( RSPS ) and Invesco S&P 500 Eql Wght Con DiscrtN ETF ( RSPD ) are both covered in this analysis, as I raise a few points of discussion on the consumer staples versus discretionary trade. The market has recovered strongly in April, leading to outperformance in discretionary stocks. However, I see scope for outperformance in staples in the years ahead and think recent market performance has created an opportunity to take advantage of a potential mispricing. Let's traverse into a brief discussion about the factors both supporting and contradicting my view on the trade. Headline Description Of Each ETF RSPD RSPD and RSPS both derive from the Invesco S&P 500 Eql Wght ETF ( RSP ). However, thematic adjustments were been made to create products that track respective sectors. The following diagram illustrates RSPD's key points, which are: the ETF weights S&P 500 consumer discretionary stocks equally, rebalances quarterly, holds around 49 stocks, and has an expense ratio of 0.40%. RSPD Overview (Invesco) RSPS RSPS weights S&P 500 consumer staples stocks equally, rebalances quarterly, holds around 37 stocks, and has an expense ratio of 0.40%. RSPS Overview (Invesco) Historical Performance and Asset Pricing (Statistical Analysis) A long-term view of performance shows that RSPD and RSPS have delivered similar long-run price returns and indifferent cyclical returns. Discretionary stocks have outperformed since 2024, which coexisted with a surge in the broader stock market . Seeking Alpha Despite delivering relatively lower since-inception price returns, RSPS' total return has exceeded RSPD's due to higher carry (elaborated upon later). RSPS' higher carry component has smoothed returns relative to RSPD, providing additional risk-adjusted benefits, though dividend taxation aught to be considered. Data by YCharts Until now, I've mainly discussed longer-term behavior. I plotted a 60-day rolling z-score...
Anyone following the modern game industry knows that easy-to-use game engines and the accelerating shift to digital distribution have helped enable a massive increase in the quantity of commercial games released each year, both on console storefronts and especially on Steam . Now, Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Hideaki Nishino says we should expect the rate of new game releases t...
Anyone following the modern game industry knows that easy-to-use game engines and the accelerating shift to digital distribution have helped enable a massive increase in the quantity of commercial games released each year, both on console storefronts and especially on Steam . Now, Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Hideaki Nishino says we should expect the rate of new game releases to accelerate even faster as new AI development tools make it easier for developers big and small to pursue new projects efficiently. In a presentation to investors on Friday , Nishino noted that Sony "expect[s] to see a meaningful increase in the volume and diversity of content available to players" in the near future. That increase is the inevitable result of AI development tools that are "lowering barriers to creation, accelerating development cycles, and enabling more creators to enter the market," he said. By way of evidence, Nishino cited Sony's first-party game development efforts. Gamemakers inside Sony are already using AI tools to "automat[e] repetitive workflows" in areas like quality assurance, 3D modeling, and animation, he said. Read full article Comments
Never miss an episode. Follow The Big Take daily podcast today. Supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement helped put President Trump in office for a second term. But just months ahead of the US midterm elections, key voices in the coalition say they feel betrayed. On today’s Big Take podcast, guest host Tim Stenovec and Bloomberg Businessweek’s Deena Shanker track MAHA’s growing frustr...
Never miss an episode. Follow The Big Take daily podcast today. Supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement helped put President Trump in office for a second term. But just months ahead of the US midterm elections, key voices in the coalition say they feel betrayed. On today’s Big Take podcast, guest host Tim Stenovec and Bloomberg Businessweek’s Deena Shanker track MAHA’s growing frustrations with the White House, from the fallout over Trump’s decision to pull Casey Means as nominee for surgeon general to a contentious battle over weed killer — and what it could mean for Trump’s record-low approval ratings. Read more: Outrage Over Pesticides Is Alienating Some Trump Voters Further listening: Welch’s Fruit Snacks Get a MAHA-Friendly Makeover We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer. Listen and follow The Big Take on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Terminal clients: Visit NSUB to subscribe. This episode was produced by: David Fox; Editor: Aaron Edwards, Nicole Beemsterboer; Fact-checker: Naomi Ng and Yang Yang; Sound Design/Engineer: Alex Sugiura; Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Senior Editor: Elisabeth Ponsot; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver; Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.