Morning News Call

TOP NEWS

• Six vessels attacked in Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, one crew member killed.
• US opens unfair-trade probes into industrial capacity and forced labor.
• Software companies, including Oracle, refute claims that AI will cause their demise.
• Anthropic seeks appeals court stay after Pentagon designated it a supply-chain risk.
• Lilly warns of health risks from impurities in compounded weight-loss drugs.

BEFORE THE BELL

• U.S. stock index futures fell as oil prices surged, intensifying inflation concerns.
• Oil prices jumped over 5% due to increased Iranian attacks in the Middle East.
• Dollar strengthened; gold prices stable as rate-cut bets dampened.
• Inflation jitters and risk-off mood impacted global markets, including Europe and Asia.

STOCKS TO WATCH

• Blackstone Inc: Anthropic in talks with Blackstone for an AI-focused joint venture.
• Blue Owl Capital Inc: Allegations of obscuring portfolio weaknesses in private credit funds.
• Bumble Inc: Q4 revenue beat estimates, shares soared on turnaround plan and "Bumble 2.0".
• Caesars Entertainment Inc: Tilman Fertitta in talks to buy Caesars for ~$7 billion.
• Chevron Corp: Energean to acquire Chevron's interests in two Angola oil blocks.
• Citigroup Inc: Closing UAE branches temporarily due to Middle East crisis.
• Eli Lilly and Co: Warned of health risks from compounded weight-loss drugs with impurities.
• Estee Lauder Companies Inc: Sued Jo Malone and Zara UK over the use of the "Jo Malone" name.
• Ford Motor Co: Judge dismissed Ford's lawsuit alleging fraudulent legal fees from plaintiffs' lawyers.
• Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JP Morgan Chase & Co & Bank of America Corp: Pentagon targets these firms for a new defense deal investment team.
• Honda Motor Co Ltd: Forecasts full-year loss due to $15.7 billion EV business restructuring.
• Joby Aviation Inc: Started flying its first aircraft for federal certification testing.
• Morgan Stanley: Limited redemptions at a private credit fund after high withdrawal requests.
• Papa John’s International Inc: Qatari-backed Irth Capital offered $1.5 billion to buy the pizza chain.
• Stryker Corp: Iranian-linked hacking group claimed responsibility for a cyberattack.
• Tesla Inc: Granted a license to supply electricity to British homes.
• Uber Technologies Inc: Collaborating with Nissan and Wayve for a robotaxi pilot in Tokyo by late 2026.

FOCUS

• AI is being deployed by both US insurers and hospitals in their dispute over medical charges and payments.

ANALYSTS' RECOMMENDATION

• Aerovironment Inc: Jefferies cuts target price due to weaker Q3 results.
• Bumble Inc: JPMorgan raises rating to neutral on stabilizing trends and strong Q4.
• Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc: JPMorgan cuts target price due to lowered expectations for GTX-102.

ECONOMIC EVENTS

• Building permits, housing starts, international trade, initial and continued jobless claims data for January/March.

COMPANIES REPORTING RESULTS

• Adobe Inc: Expected Q1 earnings.
• Dollar General Corp: Expected Q4 earnings.
• Lennar Corp: Expected Q1 earnings.
• Ulta Beauty Inc: Expected Q4 earnings.

CORPORATE EVENTS

• Earnings conference calls for Dollar General, Ulta Beauty, Adobe.
• Annual Shareholders Meetings for Applied Materials, F5 Inc.

EX-DIVIDENDS

• Home Depot Inc: $2.33
• Pool Corp: $1.25
• Southwest Airlines Co: $0.18