Bonds & Stocks
Signs of strength in the world’s largest economy fueled optimism about the outlook for Corporate America, driving stocks toward their best month since 2020. Bonds rose. Oil fell from a four-year high. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%. The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined five basis points to 4.38%.
Economy
US economic growth accelerated at the start of the year, bolstered by a massive AI-driven upswing in business investment. Inflationadjusted gross domestic product increased an annualized 2% in the first quarter after the longest-ever federal government shutdown limited growth in the closing months of 2025, according to an initial estimate issued Thursday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
World
Iran’s new supreme leader gave a rare statement on Thursday, vowing not to give up the country’s nuclear or missile technologies and signaling Tehran would keep control of the Strait of Hormuz.