Morning News: March 24, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 24th, 2026 at 7:06 am

War Knocks Global Economy With Dual Shock to Growth and Prices

Europe Shows Early Signs of the Iran War’s Economic Costs

Iran Strikes Persist Even as Trump Claims Talks to End War

Oil Prices Rise a Day After 10% Plunge

For Western Oil Companies, War in Iran Means Bigger Profits, and Risks

Investors Question Whether Quick Peace in Iran Is Possible

How Investors Can Cope With TACO Whiplash

China’s $1.6 Trillion Fund Rekindles Ties With US Money Managers

Are US Recessions Going Extinct? That’s So 2003

The Real Debt Crisis Is That There Will Be No Debt Crisis

The End of FTC Political Warfare: Is It Coming Soon?

Cliffwater’s Father-Son Duo Is Lashed by Private Credit’s Brewing Storm

Gold at $10,000? Market Watchers Hold Firm on Forecasts Despite Bullion Bear Market Slide

Joe Kent Is a Conspiracy Theorist, Not a Principled Dissenter

Democrats Need a Better Affordability Agenda

Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years

JPMorgan Sees ‘National Security Risk’ in Old Grid Networks

Trump Sets Up ‘Pax Silica’ Fund to Reduce Global Dependencies

Battery Metal Curbs Sting Chinese Miners Who Spent Big in Africa

Apollo to Acquire Nippon Sheet Glass in $3.7 Billion Deal

AI Infrastructure Will Win U.S. the AI Race

How Nvidia Keeps Its Iron Grip on the AI Boom

Musk’s Terafab Fever Dream Exposes Reality of the AI Chip Crunch

Tesla Sales Rebound in Europe After Monthslong Slump

The Chinese Billionaire Who Says America’s EV Market Is Doomed Without Him

United Air Launches Record Fleet Upgrade With New Polaris Seats

Reality TV Confronts a Harsh TV Reality

Xi Jinping’s Morality Crackdown Has a New Victim: The Global Wine Trade

Smithfield Foods Sales Rise on Packaged-Meats Growth

Red Lobster’s Last Gasp

Estée Lauder in Talks to Acquire Spain’s Puig to Create Global Beauty Giant

Estée Lauder Buying Puig Doesn’t Pass the Smell Test

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Morning News: March 23, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 23rd, 2026 at 7:01 am

Iranian Missile Strikes Are Costing Big Oil Billions in Lost Revenue

Which Countries Depend the Most on Persian Gulf Oil and Gas

War’s Attacks on Energy Could Turn Economic Shock Into Long-Term Damage

$5 Diesel is Crushing Truckers. It Will Soon Be Felt Across the Economy

Oil Prices Tumble and Stocks Rise

As War Disrupts India’s Gulf Ties, Economy Faces ‘New Broadside’

Dollar Scarcity in Venezuela Forces Small Firms to Raise Prices, Turn to Crypto

South Korea Names BIS Official as Next Central Bank Chief

The Dollar’s Strength Has Little to Do With “Exorbitant Privilege”

Amid Mounting Risks, the Fed Wisely Puts Rates on Hold

The Fed’s Most Awkward Leadership Transition Is Coming

Nasdaq Seeks to Build Crypto Into Wall Street’s Market Plumbing

The Trump Administration Turns a Blind Eye to White-Collar Crime

Private Credit Is Making Bank Investors Antsy, Too

Victory Capital Fires Back at Peltz’s Trian as Janus Bidding War Drags On

Berkshire Hathaway to Acquire $1.8 Billion Stake in Japan’s Tokio Marine

Fink Says AI Threatens to Leave Masses Behind Unless They Invest

Why Are Young People Taking So Many Unwise Financial Risks?

Lawmakers to Introduce Bipartisan Bill Banning Sports Bets on Prediction Markets

To Achieve Greater Electricity Affordability, We Need a True Marketplace

The Housing Bargain Hiding in Plain Sight

Activist Elliott Builds Big Stake in Chip-Design Software Maker Synopsys

Apple’s Heir Apparent Steps Into the Spotlight

Tesla, SpaceX Plan to Build New Chip Factory in Texas

China Is Ripping Up the Rulebook for the Global Auto Industry

The Economy Cabin on Airplanes Keeps on Shrinking

Even Rich Travelers Are Complaining About Spiking Prices

Why Healthcare Is Doing the Heavy Lifting in This Job Market

Pfizer Says Long-Awaited Lyme Vaccine Was Effective in Study

Danone to Buy Nutrition Company Huel

The Veteran Podcasters Hanging up Their Headphones

Americans Are Spending More Than Ever on Manicures and Doggy Daycare

Not All Malls Are Struggling

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Morning News: March 20, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 20th, 2026 at 7:03 am

How Israel Went From ‘Model Ally’ to Cautionary Tale

Iran Leaves an Isolated Trump Grappling With Historic Oil Crisis

Removing Sanctions on Iran’s Crude Isn’t an Easy Fix for Oil Prices

Scramble for Jet Fuel Shows How Energy Shortages Are Rippling Across Asia

Venture Global vs. Shell: How a Startup Won Big In LNG

Australia’s New South Wales State Bans Future Coal Mines

Trump Just Shook Up Global Interest-Rate Policy Again

Iran War Scrambles Calculus for Central Banks

Wall Street Banks With Large Trading Units May Be Biggest Winners Under US Capital Plan

Treasuries Slide as Elevated Oil Prices Fuel Inflation Fears

A Whiff of Stagflation

Thomas Massie Is Right About Government Spending For the Wrong Reasons

An Underdog Trump Ally in Latin America Becomes an Investor Magnet

Trump Reorganizes Foreign Aid at Fraction of USAID’s Size

The Luxury Life of British Expats in Dubai Faces a Reality Check

The US Must Not Become a Nation of Emigrants

The Postal Service’s Last-Mile Strategy Is a Dead End

Record Number of Student Loan Borrowers Are in Delinquency and Default

Finally, an Opera About Economics

Can Jonah Peretti Save BuzzFeed From Extinction?

A Vegas Gambler, a Hollywood Power Player and the Legal Fight Roiling Paramount

SAP CEO Says Defense Industry Sales Are Fastest Growing Business

The Long Farewell to Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse

Don’t Regulate Away Playing Field-Leveling AI

Super Micro Co-Founder Charged With Sending AI Tech to China

Publisher Pulls ‘Shy Girl’ Horror Novel After AI Allegations

Uber’s Defense Against Robotaxis Is Funding Them

Tesla Finally Has Its First Semi-Truck and It’s Already a Hit With Truckers

Unilever Looks to Offload $33 Billion Food Business to McCormick

BTS, the Most Popular Boy Band Ever, Returns to a Changed Industry

How Geopolitics Threaten K-Pop’s Ambitions in China

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Morning News: March 19, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 19th, 2026 at 7:08 am

The US Says It’s Winning in Iran. Time to Act Like It

Oil and Gas Prices Jump as Strikes on Gulf Facilities Escalate

Gas Prices in Japan Hit Record High, Testing Leader’s Cost-of-Living Pledge

Tens of Thousands of Seafarers Are Caught in Persian Gulf Crossfire

Lloyd’s CEO Says It’s Critical Mideast War Cover Stays Available

The Iran War’s Economic Threat to Europe and Asia

The Enormous Financial Cost of Three Weeks of War in Iran

Norway’s $2 Trillion Wealth Fund Is Sounding a Warning on Iran

Why Tech Giants Are Ditching the Power Grid

Geothermal Escapes Trump’s Renewable Crackdown, Boosts Fervo’s IPO Bid

India’s Energy Generation Capacity May More Than Double by 2036

The Future of Climate Science Without the US

Economists Don’t See a Recession Unless Oil Hits $138—and Stays There for Weeks

Bank of England Signals Readiness to Raise Rates if Iran War Persists

Trump Wants Powell Out. Powell Is Digging In

The Best We Should Hope For From the Fed: Nothing

Federal Reserve Maintains Rates and Watches Risks From Iran War

Why Companies Are Chopping Up Big Bond Deals Into Smaller Pieces

Your March Madness Bracket Could Wreck Your Stock Portfolio — So ‘Sit on Your Hands’ Until April 6

Being ‘the Next Warren Buffett’ Sounds Like an Honor. It Is More of a Curse

Florida’s Red Wall on Immigration Is Starting to Crack

The Trump FCC’s Harassment of Apple Sets a Bad Precedent for the GOP

Crypto.com Cuts 12% of Staff and Pins Job Losses on AI Push

As EV Market Stalls, Battery Makers Shift to Grids and Data Centers

Congress’s Online Safety Agenda Perilously Ignores Parents

Eight States Sue to Block $6.2 Billion Nexstar-Tegna Merger

Lilly’s Experimental Diabetes Shot Yields Record Weight Loss in Study

Ozempic Is About to Go Generic for Billions of People

Uber to Invest Up to $1.25 Billion in Rivian Robotaxis

Disney’s Iger Joins the Boomerang Club of Ho-Hum Returns

Meet the Rich Retirees Moving Onto Cruise Ships Full Time

Darden Sales Rise, Boosted by LongHorn Steakhouse

Harry Styles Is Selling Sex — Even If Wall Street Won’t

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Morning News: March 18, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 18th, 2026 at 7:08 am

Japan’s Exports to the US Drop 8%; Takaichi and Trump to Meet Thursday in Washington

When Map and Compass In the Global Energy Markets Disagree

As War Chokes Natural Gas Supply, Asia Turns Back to Coal

Kharg Island Is an Appealing Target for Trump, With High Risks

Why This Jump in Gas Prices Feels Different

US Diesel Squeeze Threatens to Ripple Through Economy

Do Not Read Too Much Into All of This Market Noise

Powell’s Second-to-Last Meeting Previews an Increasingly Divided Fed

Traders Rethink Fed Rates Outlook as Growth Worries Build

Spiking Oil Prices Don’t Make Bessent a Hedge Fund Manager (Again)

Christopher Sims, Economist Who Taught the Data to Speak, Dies at 83

Paul Ehrlich Wasn’t Premature: He Was Wicked

Wall Street’s Bank Capital Victory in Sight but Hurdles Remain

Finish the Job: Deliver the Promise of U.S. Crypto Leadership

Pimco Sees Private Credit Strains Triggering Wake-Up Call on Liquidity Risks

Private Credit Is Bad, But Not 2008 Bad

Courts Should Stop Taking the President at His Word

Arizona Files Criminal Charges Against Kalshi, the Prediction Site

US Mortgage Rates Hit Highest This Year, Slowing Refinancing

People Are Using Claude to Do Their Taxes (But Maybe They Shouldn’t)

Can Enhanced Trump Accounts Break Persistent Poverty?

Elliott Builds Stake in Japan Shipping Giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines

AI and Power Looms: Stories About Job-Killing Tech Have a Way of Going Viral

AI Security Startup Xbow Valued at More Than $1 Billion

Tencent Posts Earnings Beat as It Steps Up AI Effort

Anthropic, OpenAI Talk Safety. Their Headcounts Don’t

Amazon Plans Drastic Cut in Packages Sent Via Already-Struggling Postal Service

Pardoned for Fraud, a CEO Mounts His Comeback: ‘We Can Trust You Now’

General Mills Posts Lower Profit, Sales Amid Turnaround

Macy’s Same-Store Sales Boosted by Bloomingdale’s While Guidance Mixed

Why Firms Are Pivoting From China Shedding to China Maxxing

The Secret Behind a $400 Skin Cream: Playing Music to Kelp

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CWS Market Review – March 17, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 17th, 2026 at 6:27 pm

(This is the free version of CWS Market Review. If you like what you see, then please sign up for the premium newsletter for $20 per month or $200 for the whole year. If you sign up today, you can see our two reports, “Your Handy Guide to Stock Orders” and “How Not to Get Screwed on Your Mortgage.”)

“Ship me Somewheres East of Hormuz”

The stock market posted a small gain today. It was the second daily gain in a row. Thanks to some bearish sentiment earlier this month, March could go down as the weakest month in a year. Frankly, the stock market has been rather boring over the last few days.

Don’t get me wrong, I like a boring market. The big question now is how much of an energy shock the U.S. economy can handle. This is no longer 1973, so I suspect we can absorb a lot. So far, the impact on the stock market has been modest. I don’t know how long that will last but I’m sure a lot will depend on the Strait of Hormuz.

The oil shock has already been felt. Check out this chart from Gasbuddy for prices at the pump.

Last week, the government released a disappointing GDP growth report for Q4. I’ll go over the details in a bit, but first, I want to pay my respects to the late Paul Ehrlich.

RIP: Paul R. Ehrlich

Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich died on Friday at the age of 93. Ehrlich achieved a degree of fame in the 1960s and 70s with a string of pronouncements predicting that the planet was quickly headed towards mass starvation.

In 1968, he laid out his beliefs in the book The Population Bomb. He advocated that couples have no more than one or two children.

Ehrlich quickly became something of a celebrity apocalyptic. He appeared on Johnny Carson 20 times where he predicted famine and food riots. Ehrlich said 65 million Americans will starve to death.

The public loved it. The Population Bomb sold more than three million copies. In 1974, Ehrlich and his wife wrote The End of Affluence which held that “before 1985, mankind will enter a genuine age of scarcity.” Ehrlich later said, “If I were a gambler, I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000.”

You might say that he was a wee bit off. Or as the New York Times put it, “he faced criticism when his predictions proved premature.” Yes, premature.

There must be something deep down in the human psyche that refuses to believe that things are getting better and that Doomsday is coming next Tuesday.

I’ve been writing investment newsletters for 30 years and I certainly could have grabbed a bigger audience telling people that the world was done for.

In truth, being an investor means believing in a better tomorrow. Of course we have many problems that need urgent addressing, but we have to bear in mind the stunning progress that we’ve made.

A few years ago, Hans Rosling wrote a book called Factfulness which outlined how poorly people understood the trends of progress. Consider this question:

In the last 20 years, the proportion of the world population living in extreme poverty has…
A. Almost doubled.
B. Remained more or less the same.
C. Almost halved.

The answer is C. Only 5% of Americans got it right. In the last 20 years. Global poverty has fallen from 34% in 1993 to 10% in 2013. Longer-term, the global population living on an inflation-adjusted $2 a day or less is down from 50% in 1966 to 9% in 2017. An average of 100,000 people left extreme poverty every day for the last 35 years.

How about this question: How many of the world’s 1-year-old children today have been vaccinated against some disease?
A. 20%
B. 50%
C. 80%

Again, the answer is C: 80%, and now it’s closer to 90%. Only 17% of Americans got it right.

The end of the world was a big thing in the 1970s with movies like Soylent Green. In that movie, the world was dealing overpopulation, pollution and poverty. The movie takes place in 2022.

If you predict the Apocalypse and you’re wrong, you’re rarely held to account.

In 1980, the economist Julian Simon bet Ehrlich that the prices of five metals would go lower over the next 10 years, but Ehrlich thought they’d go higher. Simon allowed Ehrlich to pick the metals of his choice. Erlich chose copper, chromium, nickel, tin, and tungsten.

All five went down. Tin and tungsten fell by more than half. Ehrlich paid up. Over that decade, the world’s population increased by 800 million. Also in 1990, Ehrlich won a MacArthur prize.

In 1981, Simon wrote The Ultimate Resource which said that the world was not running out of resources. He said that the rise in price of a resource makes a greater incentive to extract it more efficiently. Simon said that adjusting for inflation and wages, the price for resources has been falling for decades. The ultimate resource is human ingenuity.

Academic studies have shown that over the long-term, stocks have beaten every other investment category. The key is that stocks are different from assets. Assets are things, like Ehrlich’s metals. They don’t do anything by themselves. Gold doesn’t do anything. It’s a metal (or element). Same for bitcoin, or a house. These assets only have economic relevance once they come in contact with people who can employ them.

It’s interesting that Ehrlich was completely unbothered by the fact that his predictions were wrong. This is something else you see a lot of in finance. For example, 65 million Americans didn’t starve to death, but Ehrlich kept right along. He even said, “My language would be even more apocalyptic today.”

So he got a few predictions wrong. It’s not the end of the world.

GDP Growth Revised Downward to 0.7%

On Friday, the Commerce Department said the U.S. economy grew by just 0.7% during the last quarter of 2025. That number is annualized and adjusted for inflation. Wall Street had been expecting growth of 1.5%. Last month, the initial report said the economy grew by 1.5% during Q4.

Here’s the quarterly growth rate of GDP for the last several quarters.

Thanks to the government shutdown, government spending fell by 16.7%. This was a big change from Q3 when the economy grew by 4.4%. For the whole year, the economy grew by 2.1%. Last year had the third-slowest growth of the last 14 years.

According to the BEA, the downward revision came due to adjustments in consumer and government spending and exports. A decline in imports, which technically subtract from GDP, also was less than the previous estimate.

Consumer spending rose 2% for the quarter, following a 0.4 percentage point downward revision that represented a decline from the 3.5% increase in the third quarter. The largest contribution for the downward revision from services, specifically health care spending, according to the release.

We also got the PCE numbers for January which is the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation. It showed that prices increased by 0.3% in January and by 2.8% over the last 12 months. Core PCE inflation rose by 0.4% in January, and by 3.1% over the last year.

The report also said that personal income and spending in January both increased by 0.4%, and the personal savings rate rose to 4.5%. Note that this data came before the start of military operations against Iran.

The Federal Reserve meets again tomorrow, and you can forget about any rate cut. The futures market currently has the Fed doing nothing at 99.1%. That’s about 0.89999% too low.

That threat of inflation, which was an issue before the war, is a bigger one now. Put it this way: baseball is currently in spring training, and traders don’t see the Fed cutting rates until three days after the regular season ends.

That’s all for now. The Federal Reserve’s policy statement will be out tomorrow afternoon. I’ll have more for you in the next issue of CWS Market Review.

– Eddy

Morning News: March 17, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 17th, 2026 at 7:07 am

Japan and South Korea Agreed to Invest $900 Billion in the US. How Will That Work?

How the Iran War Is an Economic World War

Trump Team Draws on ‘Managed Trade’ Playbook With New Idea for China

Trump Delay of Xi Talks Buys China Time to Game Out Iran War

Renewables Cushion Europe’s Power Prices From Iran Shock

Europe’s Green Power Revolution Softens Iran Energy Price Shock

US Diesel Tops $5 a Gallon as War Disrupts Supply Chains

As War With Iran Hurts Oil Prices, U.S. Turns to Iranian Boats for Help

German Financial Sentiment Plummets on Iran War

Silver Standing for Delivery: Where Is All of It Going?

The Size of Government Will Sadly Soar With a “Balanced Budget”

I Predicted the 2008 Financial Crisis. What Is Coming May Be Worse.

The Fed Keeps Getting Hit With New Shocks in Its Yearslong Inflation Fight

The Fed Doesn’t Control the Shocks. It Controls Its Grasp of Them

The Fed’s $200 Billion Bank Stimulus Poses a Big Risk

These Are the 12 Fed Officials Who Are Voting on Interest Rates This Week

Traders Are Ditching Giant Hedge Funds to Set Their Own Terms

SEC Preps Proposal to Nix Quarterly Reporting Requirement

US SEC’s Top Cop Resigns After Just Six Months on the Job

Citigroup Cuts 12-Month Bitcoin, Ether Targets as US Crypto Legislation Stalls

Slashing Tax Bills for Rich Investors Is a $1 Trillion Business

‘Zombie’ Second Mortgages Spur New Battles in State Capitols

The DOJ Isn’t Enforcing the Law. It’s Protecting the President

U.S. Court Ruling Against R.F.K. Jr.’s Vaccine Policies

Your Average Democratic Voter Isn’t a Left Winger

When the Best Retirement Is No Retirement at All

AI’s Money Bots Are Here and Everyone Wants to Handle Their Cash

Nebius Plans to Raise $3.75 Billion in Debt After Meta Deal

Investors Love Jet Engine Makers. Airlines Aren’t So Sure

Delta Air More Upbeat for First Quarter on Strong Bookings

Driverless Big Rigs Are Coming to American Highways, and Soon

David Zaslav Deal Pay Could Top $800 Million After Last-Minute Tax Benefit

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Morning News: March 16, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 16th, 2026 at 7:04 am

Iran Strikes Gulf Oil Hub as It Rejects Trump’s Ceasefire Claim

US Allies Wary of Joining Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Mission

Iran’s Upper Hand in Hormuz Is Pressuring Oil Buyers and Trump

Iran War Catapults Asia to the Frontline of a Global Energy Crisis

The War Is Making It Harder to Keep the Lights On, 2,000 Miles Away

Oil Tops $106 a Barrel as Worries Persist About Global Supplies

Oil Industry Warns Trump Administration That Fuel Crunch Will Likely Worsen

War Has Grounded High-Flying Gulf Airlines Like Emirates

These Energy Stocks Benefit Most From the Iran Crisis

Netanyahu Won Trump, But He’s Losing America

Chinese Economy Surprises With Rebound But War Risks Loom

ECB and Bank of England to Stand Pat as Iran Conflict Upends Forecasts

Bank of Japan Faces Familiar Dilemma as Iran Conflict Stirs Inflation

The US Is Flirting With Stagflation. What Kind?

The Laffer Curve Is No Longer a Punch Line

Iran War Risks Sharpening Fed Divisions Over Rate Cuts

Fed to Hold Interest Rates Steady as Iran War Scrambles the Economic Outlook

Trump’s Iran War and His Tariffs Have History to Contend With

Trump’s Tariffs Will Loom Large Over the Midterms, Whatever Happens in Iran

Small Businesses Are Pushing Back Against Private Equity

‘It’s Just Crazy’: High Car Payments Make Ownership Feel Impossible

Playing Politics With Scholarships Fails Families

Why Do Rich People Still Borrow Money?

Why App Store Age Verification Is a Strategic Mistake for the GOP

Meta to Spend Up to $27 Billion on Nebius AI Infrastructure

Fidelity-Backed AI Chip Cooling Company Frore Valued at $1.64 Billion in New Funding

Apollo in Talks for Stake in Syntegon at €4 Billion Value

Republicans Are Squandering Their MAHA Moment

The FDA’s Puzzling Ambivalence About Finding Cures

Lululemon Scrambles to Revive Yoga Pants Empire Amid Fight With Founder

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Morning News: March 13, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 13th, 2026 at 7:03 am

Putin’s ‘Hidden Hand’ Guides Iran’s Strikes in Widening War

Iran’s New Leadership Is Betting on Endurance

Three Targets for US Boots on the Ground in Iran

The US May Have to Answer for the Iranian School Bombing

Killing of Modi’s Invited Iranian Guests Strains US-India Ties

The Trauma of Conflict in Iran Will Reshape the Gulf

The Iran War Is Ending Freedom of the Seas

US Treasury Allows More Russian Oil Sales to Help Tame Prices

Oil Near $100 Tests Restraint of US Shale Producers

Why Gas Prices Will Stay High After the War Is Over

Airfares Have Doubled on Some Flights. The Sticker Shock for Spring Travel Is Upon Us.

Globalization Faces Its Next Crisis

Surging Energy Costs Put German Industry ‘Really in Danger’

Here’s What Could Tip Global Central Banks Toward Aiding Growth

US Starts Second Trade Probe in Trump’s Tariff Policy Revival

‘A Lot of Life Years Lost’: How NAFTA Shortened American Life Spans

A Free Trader Responds to a Free Trader: Rebutting John Tamny

With Billions to Spend, Tether Finds New Allies in Washington

Hedge Fund in Hong Kong Raid Took Big Bets, Failed Goldman Test

The Silent Killer of High Performance Corporate Teams

The Electric Grid Needs Huge Upgrades. No One Knows Who Will Pay for Them.

‘Pole Attachments’ Aren’t Comic Relief, They’re Connection

Don’t Let Lawsuits Derail Micron’s $100 Billion Project

Trump Sons Are Behind a $750 Million Push Into Drone Warfare

What to Know About the U.S. Lasers That Could Be Used to Counter Iranian Attacks

‘God, It’s Terrifying’: How the Pentagon Got Hooked on AI War Machines

The Pentagon Dealmaker Who Has Become Anthropic’s Nemesis

Anthropic’s Pentagon Battle Matters to Every Business

Alibaba Debuts OpenClaw App to Feed China’s Agentic AI Addiction

Honda Scraps Plans for E.V.s While Start-Ups Forge Ahead

Things I Wish I’d Known Before Buying an EV

The Real March Madness Is the Corporate Race to Ink Viral Stars

The K-Pop Demon Hunters’ Tourism Wave Is Just Getting Started

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Morning News: March 12, 2026
Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on March 12th, 2026 at 7:07 am

Trump Has Never Been a Planner, and in War That’s Deadly

Mideast Shipping Crisis Widens With More Tankers Hit in Gulf

Iran War Causes Biggest-Ever Oil Market Disruption, IEA Says

President Trump’s Head-Spinning Pivot on an Emergency Oil Release

Why Oil Prices Surged Even After the Release of Strategic Reserves

Japan Has Spent Decades Preparing for an Energy Crisis. Is It Enough?

Oil Expats Desperately Needed in Venezuela Don’t Want to Go Home

Iran War Is Good for America’s Natural Gas Industry

Germany’s Economic Institutes Downgrade Growth Forecast on Iran War

Iran War Pushes Indian Firms to Pull $2.1 Billion of Bond Sales

War Cost Sinks Long-Term Government Bonds on Deficit Worries

War Has Sent Thousands of Planes Flying in the Other Direction

Costco Sued by Customer Over Tariff Refund

Trump Administration Suggests Tariff Refunds May Take Significant Time

The Two Main US Inflation Gauges Are Telling Different Stories

Why Voters Might Finally Blame Trump for Rising Costs

Consumers Don’t Blame Affordability Challenges On Credit Cards

Blue Owl Tells Investors Its Loan Sale Had No Hidden Incentives

Private Credit Exodus Forces Caps at Cliffwater, Morgan Stanley

Deutsche Bank Flags a $30 Billion Exposure to Private Credit

Germans Aren’t Lazy. There’s a Reason They Work Less

Finland Is Ready for Russia. Is Anyone Else?

US Starts Trade Probe Into China, EU in Trump’s Tariffs Revival

China’s OpenClaw Frenzy Tests Xi’s Approach to Regulate AI

Anthropic Isn’t Exaggerating About an AI Panopticon

Amazon’s Win Against Perplexity Kicks AI Shopping Wars Into High Gear

Meta Dives Into the Complicated World of Chipmaking

Coders Coded Their Job Away. Why Are So Many of Them Happy About It?

Tesla’s Grand Plan for the Future Is a Car With No Steering Wheel

A Third of Americans Have Cut Spending or Borrowed Money for Health Care

Lilly Warns on Compounded Zepbound After Finding Impurity

The Unsung Compassion of Walmart’s Supercenters

Live Nation Can ‘Gouge’ Fans on Fees, Ticketing Executives Boast

Universal Will Give Movies Longer Exclusive Runs in Theaters

Papa John’s Draws Fresh Takeover Interest From Qatari-Backed Fund

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