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On May 16th, media outlets reported that SpaceX proposed one of the most radical corporate governance proposals in US history, ensuring Musk wouldnt be fired and offering a trillion-dollar compensation package related to establishing a colony on Mars. In response, Musk stated on social media: "Yes, I need to make sure SpaceX focuses on achieving humanitys transformation into a multiplanetary species and extending consciousness to the stars, not on catering to certain peoples quarterly bonuses. If SpaceX succeeds in achieving this incredibly difficult goal, its value will far exceed the entire global economy by orders of magnitude. This process shouldnt be expected to be smooth sailing."May 16 – The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) issued a statement on May 15 saying that the death toll from a new Ebola outbreak in Ituri province in eastern Congo has risen to 80. The DRC Ministry of Health stated that as of that day, a total of 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths had been reported nationwide, with four deaths confirmed by Ebola virus testing. The statement said the DRC National Institute of Biomedical Research confirmed that the outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus. The first suspected case was a nurse who died in April after receiving treatment at a medical facility in Ituri province. The patient had symptoms including fever, bleeding, vomiting, and severe fatigue.On May 16th, Berkshire Hathaway released its first-quarter holdings report (13F). Berkshire increased its holdings in Alphabet (GOOGL.O), The New York Times, and other stocks in the first quarter. Alphabet saw an increase of over 36 million shares, raising its stake from 2.04% to 5.93%. It completely sold off its holdings in Amazon (AMZN.O), Visa (VN), Mastercard (MA.N), and UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N). It reduced its holdings in Chevron (CVX.N) and Bank of America (BAC.N). It established a position in Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), purchasing 39.8 million shares, with a market value of approximately $2.65 billion. Its holding in Apple (AAPL.O) remained unchanged, ending three consecutive quarters of reductions; Apple remains its largest holding. Overall, Berkshires holdings in US stocks were valued at $26.3 billion as of the first quarter, compared to $27.4 billion in the previous quarter. During the quarter, the company bought approximately $16 billion worth of stocks and sold approximately $24 billion worth, resulting in a net sale of approximately $8.15 billion. The number of stocks held plummeted from 42 to 29, indicating a significant increase in market concentration.On May 16th, Bridgewater Associates, the worlds largest hedge fund, released its Q1 2023 13F report on its US stock holdings as of the end of March. The report shows that Bridgewater established new positions in 214 stocks, increased its holdings in 292 stocks, liquidated 261 stocks, and reduced its holdings in 487 stocks during the first quarter. Bridgewater significantly increased its holdings in chip stocks such as Nvidia (NVDA.O), Broadcom (AVGO.O), and Micron Technology (MU.O) during the first quarter, while liquidating its holdings in enterprise software stocks such as Salesforce (CRM.N) and ServiceNow (NOW.N), and reducing its holdings in Adobe (ADBE.O). As of the end of Q1, Bridgewaters US stock holdings were valued at $22.4 billion, compared to $27.4 billion in the previous quarter. Specifically, Bridgewater increased its holdings in Nvidia by 827,800 shares, raising its stake from 2.63% at the end of last year to 3.65%; it increased its holdings in Broadcom by 670,000 shares, raising its stake from 1.47% to 2.54%; and it increased its holdings in Micron Technology by 586,000 shares, raising its stake from 0.93% to 2.23%. In addition, Bridgewater initiated its first position in TSMC with 1.077 million shares, which accounted for 1.62% of its portfolio as of the end of the first quarter.On May 16, US President Trump posted on social media that the US military and the Nigerian armed forces carried out a joint operation that evening to "eliminate" Abu Bilal Minuki, the number two leader of the extremist group "Islamic State".

After A Fed Rise, The U.S. Banks Stress Index Might Deteriorate

Aria Thomas

Jun 17, 2022 11:09

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An indicator of credit risk in the U.S. banking sector may be exhibiting symptoms of strain as the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate rise path heightens economic pain forecasts.


According to Refinitiv data, the so-called FRA-OIS spread, which measures the difference between the U.S. three-month forward rate agreement and the overnight index swap rate, jumped to 29.50 basis points on Thursday, its widest level since May 23. The value was -11.66 basis points earlier in the week.


Widely regarded as a barometer for banking sector risk, a wider spread indicates that interbank lending risk has increased.


The recent increase in the margin between forward rate agreements and overnight index swap rates is worrisome, according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management global market analyst Jordan Jackson. "As the Fed becomes more hawkish, recession fears increase, hence boosting the underlying credit risk."


The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates by 75 basis points on Wednesday, its largest rise since 1994. Markets have been rocked by the prospect of more dramatic tightening, and fears of a future recession have intensified.


This month, the central bank also started letting bonds to expire off its more than $8 trillion balance sheet without replacing them, a procedure known as quantitative tightening that Jackson warned may possibly deplete the financial system's liquidity.


As the world's biggest holder of U.S. government debt lowers its market presence, this sentiment is shared by other investors who are concerned that market conditions may deteriorate.


"Now that quantitative tightening has formally begun, reserve draining has been rather steady over the last several months," Jackson said, adding that he expects the FRA-OIS disparity to become much wider.


Wall Street also perceives an increase in the likelihood of default by large banks.


On Thursday, credit default swap (CDS) spreads for JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), Citigroup (NYSE:C), Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC), and Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) were nearing two-year highs.


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