Finance
U.S. Inflation Reaches Three-Year High in May as Fed Weighs a Rate Increase
The Fed's preferred price gauge rose to 3.4% in May 2026 and headline PCE topped 4%, sustaining debate over whether Chair Kevin Warsh's Fed will lift interest rates later this year.
Final June Consumer Sentiment Revised to 49.5, Up From May Record Low but Still Near Historic Bottom
The University of Michigan's final June index rose to 49.5 as easing gas prices and cooler inflation expectations lifted a still-depressed mood, while the Federal Reserve keeps rates on hold.
Crude Oil Falls About 7% on the Week as Strait of Hormuz Traffic Recovers and Saudi Arabia Prepares Price Cuts
Brent and WTI posted one of their sharpest weekly drops in months as Gulf shipping resumed and Saudi Arabia signaled lower August prices to Asia, though a postponed U.S.-Iran meeting kept supply risk in play.
Chip Stocks Fall After Report That OpenAI May Postpone Its IPO to 2027
A New York Times report that OpenAI is weighing a delay of its stock-market debut triggered a global selloff in semiconductor and AI-linked shares, with the Nasdaq heading for a roughly 4% weekly loss.
Apple and Microsoft Raise Hardware Prices, Blaming AI-Driven Memory Shortage; Apple Shares Fall 6%
Both companies say a surge in DRAM and NAND chip prices forced the increases on Macs, iPads and Xbox consoles; the disputed question is who is responsible for the underlying shortage.
May PCE Price Index Rises to 4.1% Year Over Year as Consumer Spending and Income Each Climb 0.7%
The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge hit a three-year high in May 2026 amid an oil-price shock and tariff pass-through, even as households kept spending; the Fed has dropped its earlier rate-cut plan.
Russell Index Reconstitution Takes Effect, Adding SpaceX Under New Fast-Track IPO Rule
FTSE Russell's rebalance, effective after the June 26 close, added newly public SpaceX to the Russell 1000 under a rule that lets large IPOs join in days, triggering mandatory passive-fund buying.
May PCE Inflation Rises to 4.1% Annually, Core Reaches 3.4%, as Federal Reserve Weighs Rate Hike
The BEA's May personal-consumption-expenditures index hit 4.1% headline and 3.4% core year-over-year — the highest readings since 2023 — landing eight days after the FOMC dropped its 2026 rate-cut projections and signaled a possible hike instead.
Micron Reports Record $41.5 Billion Quarter on AI Memory Demand, Guides for $50 Billion Q4
Micron Technology broke company records for revenue, net income, and gross margin in fiscal Q3 2026. The main driver was strong demand for High Bandwidth Memory chips used in AI data centers. The company says its entire 2026 supply of those chips is already sold under contract.
Oil Prices Hit Post-War Low as Hormuz Tanker Traffic Rises and Iran Ceasefire Advances
Brent crude settled near $73.74 a barrel on June 24–25 — its lowest since before U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran — as peace talks and resumed Strait of Hormuz shipping pulled the 10-year Treasury yield down to 4.41%.