From crumbling consumer confidence to Hollywood's collapse at the Chinese box office, here’s everything that shook the corporate, economic, and political world since our last post.
🏢 Corporate Actions
📊 Earnings in Focus
- Goldman Sachs posted a 15% jump in Q1 profits ($4.7B), largely from trading, but flagged “material global risks” due to trade tensions.
- BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink issued a stark warning: “A U.S. recession is on the horizon” as instability escalates from Trump's tariff regime.
- Delta, Logitech, Diageo, and others have pulled forward guidance amid policy unpredictability.
🎬 Hollywood’s China Crash
The trade cold war is freezing out U.S. films in China. Here’s the harsh drop-off:
Or check this AI-recreated chart showing the collapse of franchise performance from previous movies to their latest sequels:
(📉 Moana, Venom, Kung Fu Panda, and more—all saw 50-90% drops.)
📉 Economic Trends
📉 Consumer Sentiment Hits Rock Bottom
- The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index has hit a historic low.
- Inflation fears reached a 44-year high, dragging retail confidence and investor expectations into the mud.
🏦 Fed Watch
- The Fed signals potential rate cuts if tariffs persist, as pressure mounts from falling consumer spending and shaky job growth.
🇧🇷 Brazil Outlook
- Brazilian economists revised GDP forecasts downward due to sluggish exports and rising borrowing costs.
📰 Top News Stories
🔥 Tariff Domino Effect
- China retaliated with sweeping import bans and screening limits on U.S. media and entertainment, prompting studio panic in Hollywood.
- President Trump paused some tariffs for 90 days, but markets remain nervous over what’s next.
🏛️ Political Heat
- Trump's national emergency declaration under IEEPA continues to stir debate as economists question long-term consequences.
- Democrats begin crafting campaigns around “Tariff Recession,” hoping to win swing states hit by export losses.
🔮 What’s Next?
- All eyes on corporate earnings this week—especially tech and retail—to gauge tariff impact.
- If consumer sentiment doesn’t rebound, we could see a recession-consumption spiral heading into Q3.
- Hollywood studios are expected to pivot strategies, favoring international co-productions to regain Chinese market access.