• Ameriprise analysis flagged AI-driven semiconductors as primary force behind recent US equity gains, citing broadening demand across GPUs into CPUs and hyperscaler capital spending on pace to exceed USD 700 billion this year.
• With about 89% of S&P 500 companies reported, Q1 EPS growth tracked near 28% year over year, beat rate 84%, while full-year 2026 earnings growth tracked at 21%.
• Consumer outlook looked weaker, with April job gains concentrated in healthcare, transportation, retail, wage growth 0.2% month over month against inflation above 3%, pointing to limited real purchasing power.
• University of Michigan preliminary May sentiment fell to lowest level in survey history, while gas averaged USD 4.55 per gallon last week, up more than 50% since conflict began, pressuring savings buffers.
• New York Fed research pointed to “K-shaped” response to gas shock, with households under USD 40,000 cutting gas consumption about 7% versus 1% for households above USD 125,000, raising risk that consumer weakness becomes key market constraint.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Ameriprise Financial Inc. published the original content used to generate this news brief on May 11, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.