Most Important News

1. US Retail Sales Data To Steer Fed;
2. Musk Boosts SpaceX Control with $1.4B Investment;
3. Futures Rise on Strong Earnings and AI Optimism;

US stock futures rose early Tuesday after the $IXIC snapped a 13-day win streak, as traders monitored the Iran war with a ceasefire set to expire Wednesday.

As of 08:22 EST (or 3:22 PM in Riyadh), S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.31% and 0.36% each. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 269 points, or 0.54%.

As of 03:22 PM Riyadh Time, top pre-market movements are as follows:

US March Retail Sales Surge Beyond Expectations 

April 21, 20:30 | US March retail sales rose 1.7% MoM, the fastest pace since January 2023, exceeding the 1.4% forecast. Core retail sales increased 1.9% MoM, beating the 1.4% estimate, with the previous value revised to 0.7%. Control group sales grew 0.7%, above the 0.2% expectation.

Nasdaq Rally Ends As Fear Gauge Greedy

NASDAQ(IXIC.US) fell 0.26%, snapping a 13-session winning streak amid renewed US-Iran tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, while CNN Fear & Greed Index rose to a “greed” 69.9 as S&P 500 index(SPX.US) sectors mostly advanced and Dow Jones Industrial Average(DJI.US) was flat. Read in detail>>

Oil Falls As Trump Escalates Iran Threats

US equity futures edge higher while crude retreats, with WTI near $88 and Brent below $95, as Donald Trump threatens extensive strikes on Iran amid a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and uncertain Islamabad peace talks, heightening geopolitical risk premia. Read in detail>>

Iran Rejects Talks, Threatens Military Escalation

Iranian leaders reject negotiations under President Donald Trump’s naval blockade and ceasefire violations, threaten new military options around the Strait of Hormuz, while Trump signals likely ceasefire lapse, raising risks to regional oil flows, global inflation, and equity indices like S&P 500 index(SPX.US). Read in detail>>

Small-Cap Rally Signals Stronger Returns Ahead

Russell 2000 ETF(IWM.US) has surged 11.7% in April, its best month since December 2023, after a Fed rate-reset and oil-price collapse; historically, ≥10% monthly gains in Russell 2000 ETF(IWM.US) precede 12‑month average returns of 17.6%, outperforming ETF-S&P 500(SPY.US), PowerShares QQQ Trust,Series 1(QQQ.US), and Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF(MAGS.US). Read in detail>>

Musk Invests $1.4B to Boost SpaceX Control

Elon Musk has invested an additional $1.4 billion into SpaceX, a move that further consolidates his ownership stake and control over the private aerospace company.

ARK Backs $1.75 Trillion SpaceX Valuation

ARK Invest supports a $1.75 trillion pre-IPO valuation for SpaceX, citing Starlink growth, xAI integration, and launch advantages, while prediction markets see a likely IPO delay past September and analysts warn much future upside may already be priced in. Read in detail>>

Apple CEO Tim Cook Steps Down In 2026

Apple Inc.(AAPL.US) announced Tim Cook will step down as CEO on September 1, 2026, transitioning to executive chairman. John Ternus, the current head of Hardware Engineering, will succeed him as the new chief executive officer. Read in detail>>

Tesla Settles Fatal Florida Crash Lawsuit

Tesla Motors, Inc.(TSLA.US) reached a last-minute settlement in a 2018 Florida wrongful-death case over a high-speed Model S crash, adding to over 21 ongoing lawsuits that could cost $2.1–$14.5 billion. Shares fell 2.03% Monday to $392.50. Read in detail>>

Honor Robot Shatters Half-Marathon Records

Chinese smartphone maker Honor’s humanoid robot “Lightning” won a half-marathon in 50:26, beating human and robotic competitors and the human world record, securing over $146,500 in orders and spotlighting China’s rapid advances in commercial humanoid robotics versus Tesla Motors, Inc.(TSLA.US). Read in detail>>

Adobe's AI Opportunity Skyrockets 1000x

At Adobe Summit, CEO Shantanu Narayen and NVIDIA Corporation(NVDA.US) CEO Jensen Huang stated AI is redefining Adobe Systems Incorporated(ADBE.US), with Huang claiming its opportunity has surged 100 to 1,000 times as its Firefly AI scales on NVIDIA's infrastructure.

Faraday Future Forms US AI Partnership

FARADAY FUTURE INTELLIGENT ELEC INC(FFIE.US) partners with Triple I Institute to develop embodied robotics and artificial intelligence programs across the United States, aiming to enhance advanced automation capabilities, support future mobility applications, and potentially strengthen its long‑term technology ecosystem. Read in detail>>

UnitedHealth, 3M, GE Earnings In Focus

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated(UNH.US), 3M Company(MMM.US), and GE Aerospace(GE.US) trade modestly higher in after-hours as Wall Street awaits quarterly earnings Tuesday, with consensus forecasts implying robust revenue and EPS, positioning these blue chips to potentially influence broader US equity sentiment. Read in detail>>

Alaska Air Slumps On Wider-Than-Expected Loss

Alaska Air Group, Inc.(ALK.US) posts a larger-than-expected Q1 loss of $1.68 per share on $3.30 billion revenue, missing analyst estimates on both metrics; shares drop 3.9% after hours to $41.85, signaling investor concern over profitability pressures. Read in detail>>

Amazon Gains On Expanded Anthropic Partnership

Amazon.com, Inc.(AMZN.US) extends its strategic partnership with Anthropic, which commits to invest over $100 billion in Amazon Web Services over ten years for 5 GW of AI computing capacity; Amazon shares rise 2.4% after hours to $254.30. Read in detail>>

Launch Capacity Crunch Reshapes Space Stocks

Global launch bottleneck is driving rising prices, multi‑year booking backlogs and strategic shifts, positioning Rocket Lab(RKLB.US), Karman Holdings Inc.(KRMN.US) and Firefly Aerospace(FLY.US) as key beneficiaries, while AST SPACEMOBILE INC(ASTS.US) faces execution risk and Amazon.com, Inc.(AMZN.US) secures scarce SpaceX capacity. Read in detail>>

Nasdaq Moves To Delist Oriental Rise

Oriental Rise Holdings Ltd.(ORIS.US) received a Nasdaq staff delisting determination after its share price stayed below the $1.00 minimum bid requirement, threatening loss of exchange listing, reduced liquidity, and potential migration to over-the-counter trading if appeals fail. Read in detail>>

Beyond Meat Soars Despite Insider Sale Plan

Beyond Meat(BYND.US) jumped 41% in Monday’s regular session and another 17% after-hours to $1.36, despite an SEC Form 144 revealing executive Terri L. Whitman’s preplanned sale of 29,978 shares under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, with longer-term trends still negative. Read in detail>>

Tesla Q1 2026 Earnings, Deliveries Disappoint

Tesla Motors, Inc.(TSLA.US) reports Q1 2026 deliveries of 358,000 versus 408,000 produced, leaving 50,000 vehicles in inventory, ahead of earnings due Wednesday. Company pivots from Model S/X to Optimus robots, explores cheaper and seven-seat models, while investors fear value-destructive SpaceX merger. Read in detail>>

AlphaTON Rebrands, Pivots Fully To AI

AlphaTON Capital(ATON.US) rebrands as Alpha Compute Corp., will trade as “ALP,” and pivots from digital assets to privacy‑focused AI infrastructure, deploying over 1,000 NVIDIA Corporation(NVDA.US) Blackwell GPUs via Super Micro Computer, Inc.(SMCI.US) and Dell Technologies, Inc. Class C(DELL.US) to serve institutional demand. Read in detail>>