WS #5756

The S&P 500 hit an intraday record high, up 0.13%, a bullish signal for broad market sentiment. The Strait of Hormuz crisis continues to escalate, with oil prices above $100/barrel and Iran claiming first toll revenues, which is bullish for energy stocks but bearish for airlines and consumer sectors. The EU formally approved a €90 billion loan to Ukraine and a 20th sanctions package against Russia, which may have second-order effects on energy markets. Applied Digital stock surged on a $7.5 billion hyperscaler lease deal, a significant positive for the AI/data center theme. Oracle's $550 billion AI backlog defies the tech slump, suggesting a buy-the-dip opportunity. Thermo Fisher raised its revenue outlook, a positive for the healthcare/life sciences sector. Dark pool alerts show large institutional buying in IWM ($194M), indicating institutional rotation into small-cap ETFs. Tesla plans to create 1,000 jobs in Germany, a positive signal for the company. The US PMI data showed improvement in April, with the composite index rising to 52.0, indicating economic expansion. However, the White House accused China of industrial-scale theft from US AI models, which could escalate trade tensions and negatively impact tech stocks. Iran's Supreme Leader is reportedly in poor health, which could introduce political uncertainty. The EU court ruled against Lufthansa's state aid, a negative for the airline. Overall, the market is showing mixed signals with a slight bullish bias, but geopolitical risks and trade tensions remain elevated.