Thursday's News Links

[CNBC] Stock futures slide as Walmart outlook disappoints, Iran tensions simmer: Live updates

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Oil Extends Biggest Jump Since October on Iran Conflict Concerns

[CNBC] Blue Owl curbs investor liquidity following asset sale, shares down 3% in pre-market trading

[AP] US applications for jobless aid fall to 206,000 last week as layoffs remain low

[AP] U.S. trade deficit slipped to $901 billion last year amid Trump tariffs

[AP] Tariffs paid by midsized US firms tripled last year, new analysis from JPMorganChase Institute shows

[Reuters] US unsecured loan balances hit record high on demand from subprime customers

[MSN/WP] Silicon Valley is building a shadow power grid for data centers across the US 

[AP] Iran and the US lean into gunboat diplomacy as nuclear talks hang in balance

[NBC] U.S. military pushes more weaponry into the Middle East for possible strikes on Iran

[Reuters] Russia's Lavrov warns against any new US strike on Iran

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Macron Is Setting Up a G-7 Showdown With Trump Over Social Media

[CNBC] Russia’s Putin slams U.S. oil blockade on Cuba: ‘We do not accept anything like this’

[Reuters] Exclusive: Top European spies sceptical US will clinch Ukraine peace deal this year

[Reuters] How China plans to dominate global trade long after Trump

[Reuters] Hamas tightens grip in Gaza as Trump pushes peace plan

[Bloomberg] Here Are Trump’s Options If the Supreme Court Says His Tariffs Are Illegal

[NYT] Fed Minutes Show No Rush to Restart Rate Cuts, and Even Possibility of Hikes

[NYT] Defense Dept. and Anthropic Square Off in Dispute Over A.I. Safety

[WSJ] U.S. Gathers the Most Air Power in the Mideast Since the 2003 Iraq Invasion

[WSJ] Why the Federal Deficit Is Projected to Surge, in Five Charts

[WSJ] Elizabeth Warren Has Questions About the Shake-Up Inside the Fed’s Banking Regulator

[WSJ] From Paris to New Delhi, the Push to Ban Teens From Social Media Is Going Global

[WSJ] Top Lawyers’ Fees Have Skyrocketed. Be Prepared to Pay $3,400 an Hour.

[FT] Blue Owl permanently halts redemptions at private credit fund aimed at retail investors

[FT] Kevin Hassett calls tariff report from Federal Reserve economists an ‘embarrassment’

[FT] The crypto-loving billionaire and the $400mn ‘perfect fraud’

[FT] The race to avert a US-Iran war

Wednesday Evening Links

[CNBC] Stock futures are little changed after major averages post gains; Walmart earnings loom: Live updates

[CBS] Trump has discussed timeline for Iran strikes — including as soon as this weekend — but no decision yet

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Fed Reveals Surprise Shift as Several Officials Ponder Hike

[AP] Mark Zuckerberg quizzed on kids’ Instagram use in social media trial

[Bloomberg] Traders’ ‘Massive’ Options Play Contrasts With Fed Hike Talk

[Bloomberg] Traders Brace for Japan’s First Super-Long Bond Test After Vote

[WSJ] Mark Zuckerberg Grilled on Usage Goals and Underage Users at California Trial

[WSJ] Xi Tries to Bully Trump on Taiwan

[FT] Is an AI price war about to begin?

Wednesday Afternoon Links

[CNBC] Stocks rise ahead of Fed minutes as Nvidia shares gain: Live updates

[Yahoo/Bloomberg] Gold Rises Above $5,000 as Dip-Buyers Come in Amid Thin Trade

[AP] Fed minutes: Lower inflation needed before many officials will support rate cuts

[CNBC] Hassett says authors of New York Fed tariff study should be disciplined: ‘Worst paper I’ve ever seen’

[Yahoo Finance] Trump administration slams New York Fed study that says US consumers bear the cost of tariffs

[Bloomberg] Fed Minutes Show Several Officials Point to Rate-Hike Scenario

[Bloomberg] US Manufacturing Momentum Builds Up in Both Output and Orders

[Bloomberg] Hassett Attacks NY Fed for Study on Tariff Burden Hitting US

[Bloomberg] IPO Market Limps Into Seasonal Lull After $7.2 Billion Burst

[Bloomberg] How Europe Will Choose Lagarde’s Successor as ECB President

[Bloomberg] Why US-Iran Tensions Raise Concern Over the Strait of Hormuz

[WSJ] The Federal Reserve Wants to Change How You Shop for a Mortgage

[WSJ] Lenders to Commercial Real Estate Owners Reach Breaking Point

[WSJ] U.S. Arms Sale to Taiwan in Limbo Amid Pressure Campaign From China

[WSJ] Canada’s Carney Edges Closer to Majority Government With Conservative Defection

[FT] Trump adviser says New York Fed economists should be ‘disciplined’ for publishing study on tariffs