WS #6138

The dominant theme remains the Iran conflict, which is ESCALATING. Oil prices have climbed above $110/barrel following reports that Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to end the conflict, with Brent crude reaching $111. The first LNG tanker since the war began crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a tentative de-escalation signal, but Iran has conditioned reopening the strait on a US blockade lift. EU nations committed over €10 billion to shield consumers from energy price spikes, though a Bruegel report suggests the funds are misdirected. Sweden's energy agency warned of potential jet fuel rationing in a worst-case scenario. OpenAI missed revenue and user targets, causing pressure on SoftBank and Oracle shares. IBM launched 'IBM Bob,' an AI development platform. Citi lifted its AI market view to over $4 trillion on enterprise adoption. The BOJ held rates at 0.75% but three members voted for a hike, signaling a potential June move. Barclays reported a £66 billion exposure to non-bank lending and cut back risky lending after a £228m hit from MFS. WuXi AppTec shares surged 14% on record Q1 earnings. True Anomaly raised $650M for space interceptors. Bitcoin odds of reaching $150k in 2026 fell to 10% on Polymarket.