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The Stock Market Doesn't Care, Yet (But The Bond Market Does)
With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, the world is repricing accordingly…
Oil
Brent crude futures hit a four-year high of $125 on Thursday, before WTI fell 3% Friday on hopes of an Iran peace deal. However, Trump publicly rejected it. Kalshi traders still give 63% odds that WTI crosses $120 this year. That oil shock is now embedding itself into every inflation print globally.
Inflation and Interest Rates
Eurozone inflation jumped to 3% in April, the highest since September 2023, driven by energy costs rising to 10.9%. The ECB held interest rates, but a June hike is openly back on the table if inflation continues to run hot. The UK is in the same no-win situation, warning that inflation could rise to 6.2%.
Economic Growth
In the US, the picture is uglier under the hood. Manufacturing in April held its strongest pace since August 2022, but came in below expectations and didn't accelerate. However, it’s the details that are concerning. ISM prices jumped to a 4-year high of 84.6%, while the employment index fell to its worst reading of 2026.
This is growth on the surface, but stagflation underneath.
Bond Yields
The 30-year Treasury yield hit 5.00% this week before pulling back, a level that's triggered S&P pullbacks every single time it's been tested over the last three years.  Stagflation remains the biggest risk to the global economy. But for now, the stock market doesn’t care. It’s new all-time highs again for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.
The Rule Change That Puts SpaceX In Your Portfolio
 Something quietly changed at Nasdaq on Friday, and most investors have no idea - yet. The Nasdaq is about to buy SpaceX at whatever price it lists at. Previously, new stock market listings had to wait at least a year before joining the index. Now, mega-cap IPOs will get fast-tracked in after just 15 days, a rule change reportedly made to win SpaceX's listing.
And that means that anyone holding QQQ or QQQM becomes a forced buyer, whether they like it or not. SpaceX is targeting a June IPO at up to a $2 trillion valuation. Critics, including Michael Burry, say this is pure exit liquidity for insiders.
With this rule changes, it means retail investors will be buying the top, automatically, with no choice in the matter.
Korean Tech Stocks Are Now One Click Away
 Interactive Brokers has enabled direct trading for individual South Korean stocks on the Korean Exchange (KRX). Finalized in late April 2026, this rollout allows retail investors to buy local shares of tech leaders like Samsung Electronics (005930) and SK Hynix (000660) directly.
The move follows South Korea’s removal of the Foreign Investor Registration System [FIRS], allowing access via standard identification rather than specialized registration IDs. Amid AI-driven hype for memory stocks like Micron [MU] and SanDisk [SNDK], investors can now trade the in-demand sector in their native market. Don’t fade the bull!
Note for IBKR users: To trade these assets, you must manually enable "South Korea" under Settings > Trading > Trading Permissions in the Client Portal. Ensure you hold KRW (Korean Won) or use a margin account for automatic currency conversion.
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