My top 10 things to watch Friday, April 17 1. The S & P 500 is headed for a higher open this morning after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial traffic during the Israel-Lebanon 10-day ceasefire. Oil prices sank more than 9%. President Donald Trump said the U.S.-Iran war “should be ending…
Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Friday, as cautious optimism over the Middle East conflict tempered sentiment, diverging from Wall Street’s record-setting rally. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that the war in Iran “should be ending pretty soon,” reiterating rosy predictions about the end of the conflict. Hours earlier,…
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a briefing on the Iran war, with a map in the background showing a blockade line on the Strait of Hormuz, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 16, 2026. Nathan Howard | Reuters Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz…
Cheng Xin | Getty Images News | Getty Images Charles Schwab is rolling out crypto trading, allowing clients to buy bitcoin and ether through a new arm called Schwab Crypto, the company said Thursday. The move places the brokerage in direct competition with companies like Robinhood, which serves a comparatively younger clientele and also blends…
With less than 2 weeks remaining until the next European Central Bank meeting, the bloc’s policymakers appear undecided on the future of interest rates. Financial markets are currently pricing in a hold at the April 29-30 meeting, followed by a hike in June, according to LSEG data. The majority of traders expect the ECB’s key…
Illuminated logo for Pepsi on a soda fountain in Walnut Creek, California, March 4, 2026. Smith Collection | Gado | Archive Photos | Getty Images PepsiCo on Thursday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that topped analysts’ expectations as its struggling North American food business reported a return to volume growth. Shares of the company rose slightly in…
EasyJet‘s stock fell on Thursday after the European airline warned the Iran war and higher fuel prices are weighing on customer bookings. The group said it took on roughly £25 million ($34 million) in additional fuel costs in March alone as global oil prices soared, and it expects airline costs to remain tied to volatile…
Dieter SPannknebel | Getty Images The U.S. dollar suffered in 2025 as investors embraced the “Sell America” trade, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, and the greenback was dealt a policy and fiscal credibility shock. The war in Iran has helped shore-up the dollar so far in 2026, but the future of the global reserve…
Shares of Daikin Industries surged as much as 13.9% on Thursday after activist investor Elliott Investment Management said it would work with the company to improve performance and narrow its valuation gap with peers. The stock later pared gains and was up about 11% as of 10:40 a.m. local time. “Elliott’s significant investment in Daikin reflects…
People walk outside a shopping mall during a week-long National Day holiday in Beijing on October 7, 2025. Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images China’s economy gathered steam in the first quarter, as robust exports growth offset tepid domestic demand, though the Iran war-fueled energy shock clouds growth outlook, threatening global demand. Gross domestic…
