WS #6065

Multiple high-signal developments in this window. First, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby confirmed he approached American Airlines about a merger, issuing a statement justifying the move. This is corroborated by multiple sources (Bluesky, Seeking Alpha, Alpaca News) and could significantly impact UAL and AAL. Second, OpenAI is reportedly developing an AI smartphone with Qualcomm and MediaTek, targeting 2028, with QCOM shares indicated +9-13% premarket. This is corroborated by multiple Bluesky posts and Alpaca News. Third, Iran tensions remain elevated: Iran told mediators no nuclear talks until blockade is lifted, and Trump is holding talks with security team on Iran. This sustains oil price risk. Fourth, Verizon reported Q1 earnings: EPS beat ($1.28 vs $1.21) but revenue miss ($34.4B vs $34.8B), with positive subscriber growth and raised FY EPS guidance. Fifth, Sun Pharmaceutical is lining up a loan to finance its $12B acquisition of Organon (OGN). Sixth, German consumer confidence deteriorated sharply to -33.3 in May (lowest since Feb 2023) due to Iran war inflation, a bearish signal for European equities. Seventh, Singapore industrial output surged 10.1% YoY (vs 3.9% expected), driven by AI-related electronics demand, positive for tech supply chain. Eighth, BASF hiked prices again for additives in plastic applications due to Middle East war disruption, bullish for BASF but bearish for downstream plastics users. Ninth, EU's largest Russia sanctions package includes total ban on Russian crypto providers, which may impact crypto markets. Tenth, Oruka Therapeutics stock surged on positive psoriasis trial data. Eleventh, Core Scientific announced scaling its Pecos campus to ~1.5 GW for AI infrastructure, positive for CORZ. Twelfth, KBR won a $200M US transportation technology contract. Thirteenth, Sagimet Biosciences priced a $175M offering, dilutive for SGMT. Fourteenth, Boyd Gaming was downgraded by CBRE due to lack of near-term catalysts. Fifteenth, Bitcoin stalled at $80K resistance despite strong ETF inflows and stablecoin liquidity, with analyst calling pullback temporary.