M360 Roundup - Volume 84

April 28th - May 2nd, 2025

Cole LaCour

Equity markets opened higher as April job gains beat expectations, with industrial and communications stocks leading and energy and utilities lagging

The S&P 500 is up 2.92%, the Nasdaq is up 3.56%, and the Dow Industrials is up 2.93% WTD

The 10-Yr U.S. Treasury yield has increased +0.071% to a current yield of 4.326%, whereas the 30-Yr U.S. Treasury yield increased +0.073% to a current yield of 4.794%

Crude oil prices decreased 7.85% to a current $58.22/bbl while bitcoin increased 4.27% to a current $97,790.61/coin

Meta reported strong Q1 sales of $42 billion, up 16%, and projected continued growth despite tariff concerns, while boosting AI investments and facing an ongoing FTC antitrust trial over its dominance in social networking [WSJ]
Despite rising trade war tensions, Big Tech posted strong Q1 results, with Apple and Amazon most exposed to tariffs but taking steps to mitigate impact, while Meta, Google, and Microsoft continue to show resilience and steady growth [WSJ]

Nvidia faces growing risks from Trump’s AI-diffusion rules, which could restrict chip sales even to U.S. allies, threatening up to $28 billion in revenue and giving foreign rivals like Huawei a competitive edge [WSJ]

Novo Nordisk’s new telehealth partnerships expand Wegovy access, but they’re unlikely to close the growing gap with Eli Lilly, whose more effective and better-supplied obesity drug Zepbound continues to dominate the market [WSJ]

Home builders, facing weak spring demand and looming tariff-related cost hikes, are offering steep discounts and incentives—up to 19% in some regions—to attract hesitant buyers amid high mortgage rates and rising unsold inventory [WSJ]

Circle K-owner Couche-Tard and Seven & i Holdings signed an NDA allowing Couche-Tard access to Seven & i's financial data as it seeks to formalize a ~$55B buyout offer

TWG Global, the investment firm led by Guggenheim founder Mark Walter, and financier Thomas Tull, will take a 5% minority stake in Mubadala Capital, the asset management subsidiary of SWF Mubadala

PE firm TSG Consumer Partners is in advanced talks to acquire a minority stake in cookie chain Crumbl, which is exploring a sale at a $2B valuation, including debt

Swiss pharma giant Novartis agreed to acquire Regulus Therapeutics in a $1.7B deal

PE firm TPG will acquire travel technology firm Sabre's hospitality software platform for $1.1B

Conagra is selling Chef Boyardee to Brynwood Partners for $600 million, with plans to revamp the brand as Conagra refocuses on snacks and protein [WSJ]

Kuwait Petrochemical Industries, a unit of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corp., agreed to acquire a 25% stake in China’s Wanhua Chemical Group for $638M

Spain and Portugal experienced the first major blackout of the clean-energy era when two power losses—likely linked to solar generation—disconnected their largely renewable-powered grid from Europe, exposing new vulnerabilities in managing high levels of wind and solar energy [WSJ]

Wall Street cut oil price forecasts due to trade war demand fears, with Brent at $68.23 and WTI at $64.60 as OPEC+ considers boosting output [WSJ]

VoltaGrid CEO Nathan Ough is building a fast-growing gas-fired power empire to meet soaring U.S. energy demands from data centers and frackers, aligning closely with Trump’s pro-fossil fuel, pro-manufacturing agenda [WSJ]

Apple reported a 5% earnings increase and said most U.S.-bound devices will now be sourced from India and Vietnam to mitigate tariff risks, amid declining China sales, legal challenges, and delays in AI development

Meta has launched a stand-alone AI app called Meta AI, built on its Llama 4 model and integrated across its social platforms, positioning it as a direct competitor to ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Elon Musk’s Grok [WSJ]
Samsung beat Q1 profit estimates with strong smartphone sales, offsetting a continued slump in its chip business hurt by U.S.-China trade tensions and weak HBM demand, but expects a semiconductor rebound in Q2 [WSJ]

A growing measles outbreak in Texas, fueled by declining vaccination rates, threatens the U.S.’s measles elimination status achieved in 2000, raising concerns of more frequent and severe outbreaks nationwide [WSJ]

Drugmakers, through a multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign targeting pharmacy-benefit managers, successfully influenced President Trump’s executive order on drug pricing, marking a major win for the pharmaceutical industry [WSJ]

Citadel’s flagship fund Wellington gained 1.3% in April—turning positive for the year—as Ken Griffin urged opportunistic investing amid market turmoil driven by Trump’s volatile economic policies [WSJ]

HSBC reported a 32% drop in quarterly profit to $6.93 billion but beat expectations and announced a $3 billion share buyback as CEO Georges Elhedery drives cost cuts and strategic refocusing [WSJ]