The effects of the Iran war are increasingly being seen in the real economy, not just the stock market. Goldman Sachs warned that it was seeing less enthusiasm for mergers and IPOs from big corporate clients, and that rising commodity prices alongside falling consumer demand were a “headwind.” Other large ...
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One hedge fund is pitching a fix to SpaceX’s IPO deluge: Shorten employee lockup periodsOne hedge fund is pitching a fix to SpaceX’s IPO deluge: Shorten employee lockup periods
As we scooped last week, bankers have been puzzling over how to handle the tsunami of selling — more than $1 trillion at the valuation being discussed — that would hit the market six months after the IPO, if the company pursued a traditional insider “lock-up.” They are considering ways ...
Bessent: US should ‘wait and see’ before lowering interest ratesBessent: US should ‘wait and see’ before lowering interest rates
The News The Federal Reserve should “wait and see” before deciding whether to lower interest rates amid the war in Iran, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. “Do I think rates should be lowered? Eventually. I think now that we have to ...
‘2026 is going to be the year of [AI] agents,’ Qualcomm CEO says‘2026 is going to be the year of [AI] agents,’ Qualcomm CEO says
The News Qualcomm, a leading provider of memory chips, is preparing for the day when AI agents rather than smartphones will be driving consumer decisions, CEO Cristiano Amon said Monday at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. “2026 is going to be the year of agents,” Amon said, referring to ...
The right to foodThe right to food
The most important source of energy in the world is not oil and gas. It’s food. Energy for people is even more important than energy for machines. The oil tankers trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz are critical for the world economy. But while economists and politicians focus ...
Democratic lawmaker suggests Orbán’s defeat in Hungary holds promise for USDemocratic lawmaker suggests Orbán’s defeat in Hungary holds promise for US
The News Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said Monday that Hungary’s historic election ousting longtime leader and Donald Trump ally, Viktor Orbán, was a “strong vote in favor of democracy,” suggesting that the trend is also happening in the US. Speaking at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC, on Monday, the Democratic ...
150M barrels of Venezuelan oil sold since January, US energy secretary says150M barrels of Venezuelan oil sold since January, US energy secretary says
The News At least 150 million barrels of Venezuelan oil have been sold since the US captured the country’s former President Nicolás Maduro, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. “In round numbers, probably 150 million barrels of Venezuelan oil have been sold ...
Tricolor and First Brands woes were ‘easy to spot,’ Eldridge’s Boehly saysTricolor and First Brands woes were ‘easy to spot,’ Eldridge’s Boehly says
The News The financial problems that arose at subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings and auto parts manufacturer First Brands were “easy to spot” ahead of time, Todd Boehly, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Eldridge Industries, said on Monday. Eldridge considered investing in debt issued by the Texas-based Tricolor ...
AI bioterrorism risk on the rise, warns leading scientistAI bioterrorism risk on the rise, warns leading scientist
AI can now design and run biological experiments, racing ahead of regulatory systems and raising the risk of bioterrorism, a leading scientist warned. OpenAI’s GPT-5 autonomously operated 36,000 experiments via a robotic lab, cutting the cost of creating a target protein by 40%. AI is making biological engineering more accessible, ...
African startup funding surges to $705M in first quarterAfrican startup funding surges to $705M in first quarter
African startups raised $705 million in the first three months of 2026, a 26.5% increase on the same period last year, according to new analysis. The sum covers 59 deals in 14 countries, African Business reported, pointing to data compiled by Condia and TechCabal Insights. Egypt was in pole position, ...