WS #8415

The US-Iran conflict continues to escalate with fresh tit-for-tat strikes overnight, directly contradicting any ceasefire hopes. Multiple sources (NBC, BBC, Al Jazeera, social media) report that the US launched new attacks on Iran, and Iran retaliated by targeting an American base. This has pushed oil prices higher and sent Bitcoin to a six-week low. The narrative is clearly ESCALATING, not de-escalating. Separately, several earnings reports and corporate developments provide stock-specific signals: Snowflake surged 38% premarket after strong Q1 results and a major AI deal with AWS; Dollar Tree beat and raised guidance; Best Buy beat estimates; Kohl's reaffirmed targets; Braze and Build-A-Bear traded lower on mixed results. The EU fined Temu €200M for illegal product sales. Sweden announced 16 Gripen jets for Ukraine. The dominant macro theme remains the Iran conflict and its inflationary oil shock, which is bearish for risk assets and bullish for energy.