US-China relations remain central, with discussions on Taiwan, trade, and defusing the Strait of Hormuz crisis, while the Iran war continues to impact oil prices, emerging markets, and Turkey's inflation target, alongside Israeli-Palestinian tensions, US-Cuba diplomatic overtures, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

• Israeli leaders threaten New York Times with lawsuit — Financial Times -
• CIA director makes rare trip to Cuba to demand ‘fundamental changes’ — Financial Times -
• Trump’s allies pin hopes on Xi to defuse Strait of Hormuz crisis — Financial Times -

• Emerging markets face Iran shocks with more debt, and less danger — Financial Times -
• FirstFT: The ‘Taiwan question’ looms over US-China relations — Financial Times -
• Oil Prices Waver as Trump Meets China’s Xi to Discuss Strait of Hormuz — The New York Times Business -
• Opinion | Cut Off Hong Kong’s Support for Iran — Wall Street Journal -
• Turkey scraps inflation target as economic strains deepen — Financial Times -
• Russia pummels Ukraine with missiles and drones as ceasefire collapses — Financial Times -
• US authorities prepare to end Adani fraud cases — Financial Times -
• Cuba runs out of diesel and fuel oil — Financial Times -
• Lebanon and Israel to meet in Washington as ceasefire nears end — Financial Times -
• Trump should go for ‘no deal’ in Beijing — Financial Times -
• US-China relations depend on Taiwan, Xi warns Trump — Financial Times -
• In Qatar, Energy Sector Damage Is Severe, and the Way Back Will Be Long — The New York Times Business -
• Putin replaces critic in region bordering Ukraine — Financial Times -
• Fatih Birol of the International Energy Agency: What It Will Take to End the Energy Crisis — The New York Times Business -
• Trump Might Welcome Chinese Investment, but America Is Wary — The New York Times Business -
• Trump’s China trip melds corporate interests and communist pomp — Financial Times -
• Saudi Arabia floats Middle Eastern non-aggression pact with Iran — Financial Times -
• US Senate confirms Warsh as Fed chair — Financial Times -
• China warns UK over nationalisation of British Steel — Financial Times -
• Xi tells Nvidia, Tesla and Apple CEOs that China will ‘open wider’ — Financial Times -
• Vessel seized off UAE coast and heading for Iran — Financial Times -
• Merz vows to oppose new EU debt despite Germany’s borrowing spree — Financial Times -
• Business school academics cancel US conference and switch to Europe — Financial Times -
• Carmakers fear production hit after EU sanctions on Chinese chipmaker — Financial Times -
• FirstFT: Xi Jinping issues Taiwan warning in talks with Donald Trump — Financial Times -
• Latvian government collapses over Russia-bound Ukrainian drones — Financial Times -
• Swap lines are geopolitical infrastructure — Financial Times -
• What Xi and Trump want from their Beijing summit — Financial Times -
• Eric Trump, Who Runs the Family Business, Hops Along on the Plane to China — The New York Times Business -
• China’s fuel exports fail to rebound after Beijing signals easing of ban — Financial Times -
• A note from Trump and Xi’s couples therapist — Financial Times -
• Chinese demand spurs US ethane exports to record high — Financial Times -
• Germany’s far-right boosted by stance against Iran war — Financial Times -
• Trump returns to Beijing: what’s at stake — Financial Times -
• Here’s How Trump’s Trade War on China Ended Up in a Stalemate — The New York Times Business -
• What to Watch at Trump and Xi’s U.S.-China Summit — The New York Times Business -
• Justice Dept. Officials Consider Settling Trump Suit Against I.R.S. — The New York Times Business -

The AI sector sees massive investment and blockbuster IPOs like Cerebras, strong demand for semiconductor equipment from Applied Materials, and ongoing legal disputes involving Elon Musk and OpenAI as well as OpenAI and Apple, all while experts ponder a potential AI spending plateau.

• Applied Materials Raises Outlook as Semiconductor Equipment Demand Grows — Wall Street Journal -
• Wall Street Hearts AI, as Blockbuster IPO Shows — Wall Street Journal -
• Musk tried to ‘tie OpenAI in knots’ with baseless lawsuit, start-up’s lawyer says — Financial Times -

• AI chipmaker jumps to almost $70bn valuation in IPO — Financial Times -
• Ford shares surge after launch of power unit for data centres — Financial Times -
• Cerebras, A.I. Chip Maker, Rises 89% in Market Debut as Tech IPOs Ramp Up — The New York Times Business -
• OpenAI considering legal action against Apple over iPhone AI deal — Financial Times -
• Is an AI spending plateau on the horizon? — Financial Times -
• King’s Cross is the Silicon Roundabout of AI — Financial Times -
• AI alone cannot shorten the work week — Financial Times -
• War disruption grows and data centres go to space — Financial Times -
• Foxconn Posts Strong Results on AI Hardware Sales — Wall Street Journal -
• China’s Best and Brightest Tech Talent Is Going Back to China — Wall Street Journal -

Labour's leadership faces a potential challenge to Keir Starmer from figures like Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner, amidst a mini-reshuffle and debates over the NHS waiting times and the UK's first-quarter GDP growth, which analysts cautiously assess.

• Starmer crisis as it happened: premier appoints new health secretary — Financial Times -
• Starmer braces for leadership challenge by Burnham — Financial Times -
• Burnham says he will try to become MP for Makerfield — Financial Times -

• Why Labour cannot ignore the gilt market — Financial Times -
• Burnham’s return to Westminster will not be so easy — Financial Times -
• Can Labour’s charismatic chameleon reinvent himself again? — Financial Times -
• NHS hospitals hit key target on waiting times in boost for Streeting — Financial Times -
• Farage says £5mn gift was ‘reward’ for Brexit campaigning — Financial Times -
• What is the future of UK politics? You asked, we answered — Financial Times -
• Robert Jenrick’s wife was lawyer for donor at centre of illicit funding row — Financial Times -
• Angela Rayner: powerbroker or future prime minister? — Financial Times -
• Wes Streeting: the confident performer with a mixed record of reform — Financial Times -
• UK first-quarter growth ‘probably part illusion’, analysts warn — Financial Times -
• Britain isn’t ungovernable. It’s just been badly governed — Financial Times -
• UK economy grew 0.6% in first quarter despite Middle East energy crisis — Financial Times -
• Starmer’s fate hinges on individual acts of nerve — Financial Times -
• Rayner says she has been cleared over tax affairs — Financial Times -
• UK first-quarter GDP gives BoE no urgency to cut rates — Financial Times -
• Four scenarios for a Labour leadership war — Financial Times -
• Starmer prepares to fight leadership bid by Streeting — Financial Times -
• Mortgage refixing, longer lags and eggs — Financial Times -
• UK manufacturers warn of ‘significant problems’ from steel tariff changes — Financial Times -

Major **corporate M&A activity includes LVMH's sale of Marc Jacobs and Ingredion's bid for Tate & Lyle, alongside mixed earnings reports from companies like Honda, Klarna, and Singapore Airlines, while consumer spending shows resilience despite high gas prices, and new US labor laws** are tested.

• Sundays Are Sacred at Chick-fil-A. The U.S. Says a Worker’s Saturday Sabbath Is, Too — Wall Street Journal -
• LVMH to Sell Marc Jacobs Fashion Brand to WHP, G-III Apparel — Wall Street Journal -
• Boeing, Toyota Donated $1 Million Each to Transportation Secretary’s Road-Trip Show — Wall Street Journal -

• Energy & Utilities Roundup: Market Talk — Wall Street Journal -
• Auto & Transport Roundup: Market Talk — Wall Street Journal -
• Banks line up to back hospitality billionaire’s deal for Caesars Entertainment — Financial Times -
• Versant Shares Rise as Company Beats Wall Street Expectations — Wall Street Journal -
• Jaguar Land Rover swings to an annual loss after cyber attack and US tariffs — Financial Times -
• Iridium Bets on Air Safety in Aireon Takeover — Wall Street Journal -
• This Company Is Building a Hockey Empire. Many Say It’s Ruining Youth Sports. — Wall Street Journal -
• Klarna’s Shift Toward Long-Term, Big-Ticket Loans Drives Strong Revenue — Wall Street Journal -
• Tate & Lyle shares leap after £2.7bn Ingredion takeover bid — Financial Times -
• Consumers Spent More in April Despite High Gas Prices — The New York Times Business -
• US audit regulator weighs deep staff cuts to unit overseeing accounting firms — Financial Times -
• Honda Posts First-Ever Annual Loss After Pullback From E.V.s — The New York Times Business -
• China’s Weichai ousts management at Italian yachtmaker — Financial Times -
• A Climate Fix That Could Cut Your Water Bill — Wall Street Journal -
• Retailers’ Sales Growth Cooled Last Month — Wall Street Journal -
• Tate & Lyle In Talks With Ingredion Over $3.7 Billion Takeover Offer — Wall Street Journal -
• Singapore Airlines Profit Drops, Faces Fuel-Cost Headwinds From Mideast Conflict — Wall Street Journal -
• Dan Loeb, Bobby Kotick and Other Business Leaders Backing Spencer Pratt — The New York Times Business -
• Cell Carriers Team Up to Boost Coverage Across the U.S. — Wall Street Journal -
• Chinese Chip Maker SMIC’s Profit Misses Market Expectations — Wall Street Journal -
• Watches of Switzerland’s Shares Climb After Strong Demand in U.S. — Wall Street Journal -
• Abu Dhabi’s L’imad joins BlackRock and Temasek on $30bn infrastructure push — Financial Times -
• Can Some Very Tiny Particles Cool the Planet? One Tech Company Says Yes. — The New York Times Business -
• Conservative Influencers Tap a Nonprofit to Pay for Their Security — The New York Times Business -
• Crypto Industry Pushes a Bill to Tilt Regulation in Its Favor — The New York Times Business -
• 3i Group Shares Plunge After Slowdown at Retailer Action — Wall Street Journal -
• Honda Just Had Its Worst Year Ever — Wall Street Journal -
• Burberry Posts Higher Sales as Turnaround Efforts Take Effect — Wall Street Journal -
• Telefonica Shares Rise After Revenue, Adjusted Earnings Beat Expectations — Wall Street Journal -
• Chevron to Sell Some Asia-Pacific Assets to Japan’s Eneos for $2.17 Billion — Wall Street Journal -
• Aviva Posts Rise in Insurance Premiums — Wall Street Journal -
• Honda slumps to first annual loss since going public in 1950s — Financial Times -
• Treasury repo investments could be another route to a slightly smaller Fed balance sheet — Financial Times -
• The new circular trade in private credit — Financial Times -
• Walmart launches local US delivery hubs in quest for speed supremacy — Financial Times -
• The luxury industry’s many contradictions — Financial Times -
• Self-report fraud and walk free, New York prosecutors tell Wall Street — Financial Times -
• Mamdani Urges State to Block Western Union’s Deal for Intermex — The New York Times Business -
• A Start-Up Aiming to Make Geothermal Energy Mainstream Goes Public — The New York Times Business -
• Private equity cools on India amid lofty prices and economic jitters — Financial Times -