Real-time News

On April 16th, a newly disclosed document revealed that Alphabet, Google's parent company, is poised to reap hundreds of billions of dollars in returns from its early investment in SpaceX. According to the filing submitted by SpaceX this week in Alaska, Google will hold a 6.11% stake in the company by the end of 2025. If SpaceX plans to achieve a valuation of $2 trillion or higher through its IPO, this stake would be worth $122 billion. However, after SpaceX merged with xAI in February, Google's stake has been diluted; it is estimated that its current stake is approximately 5%, worth about $100 billion at a $2 trillion valuation. In this disclosure, only Google and Elon Musk (who holds approximately 40% of the shares) are required to disclose their holdings, but several other individuals and institutions are also expected to gain billions of dollars from the IPO. Google first invested in SpaceX in 2015, participating in a $1 billion funding round with Fidelity Investments, acquiring a combined stake of approximately 10%.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Iraqi chargé d'affaires regarding the attacks launched from within Iraq.

Market news: Google's parent company, Alphabet, is expected to reap a huge return of approximately $100 billion from its investment in SpaceX.

Bank of England Governor Bailey: Tariffs are not the right way to solve imbalances.

On April 16th, the Federal Reserve stated that economic activity in most parts of the United States continued to grow at a modest to slight pace, as the war with Iran triggered a new wave of uncertainty and energy costs rose. In its Beige Book released Wednesday, the Fed noted that overall price increases remained moderate, but energy and fuel costs rose "significantly" in all 12 Fed districts. The Fed stated, "The Middle East conflict is seen as a major source of uncertainty, increasing complexity for businesses in hiring, pricing, and capital investment decisions, with many adopting a wait-and-see approach." The report, compiled by the New York Fed, uses data up to April 6th and reflects the initial impact of the war on the U.S. economy. The oil price shock triggered by the conflict pushed up gasoline prices, driving U.S. inflation to its largest increase since 2022 in March. Several Fed policymakers have signaled a preference for maintaining stable interest rates for an extended period to assess economic data.

According to Futures News on April 16, as of the close of trading at 2:30 PM, the main Shanghai Gold futures contract fell by 0.38%, the main Shanghai Silver futures contract rose by 0.10%, and the main SC crude oil futures contract fell by 0.17%.

April 16th - As of 2:30 PM closing, the Shanghai Gold futures contract fell 0.38% to 1056 yuan/gram, the Shanghai Silver futures contract rose 0.10% to 19664 yuan/kilogram, and the SC crude oil futures contract fell 0.17% to 634 yuan/barrel.

Fitch: (Regarding Mexican states) Macroeconomic conditions are expected to weaken significantly in 2026, with subsidies having a greater impact on federal revenue sharing. The oil revenue surplus is projected to be fully consumed by the costs of stimulus measures.

On April 16, White House Press Secretary Janet Levitt did not specify how long the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would last. “Regarding the blockade, as you know, the measures are fully implemented and are being enforced against all vessels of all countries entering and leaving Iranian ports,” Levitt said. “This includes all Iranian ports along the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.” She added, “We support freedom of navigation, but not any tankers or vessels that would benefit the Iranian economy, especially while negotiations are ongoing.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: It is too early to talk about how the negotiations with Iran will end, or even how they will progress.

Market news: European buyers, including Germany's Uniper, are in talks to potentially purchase liquefied natural gas from Canada's Ksi Lisims LNG project.

On April 16, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessenter said on Wednesday that he was optimistic that Donald Warsh, Trump's nominee for Federal Reserve Chair, would take office as scheduled. "He will testify on the 21st of this month. He is an excellent candidate. We know that the Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee are in agreement on this," Bessenter said at the White House. "I am very optimistic that Warsh will take office as Federal Reserve Chair as scheduled," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: Given the possibility of a renewed conflict with Iran, we are prepared for any eventuality.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: Our American allies are constantly updating us on our engagement with Iran, and our goals are aligned.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman: Iran does not consider the unfreezing of assets a concession in the negotiations. No final agreement has been reached on the unfreezing of assets and other issues.

Federal Reserve Beige Book: Wages continued to rise overall.

The Federal Reserve's Beige Book: In eight of the 12 Federal Reserve districts, overall economic activity increased at a slight to moderate pace, in two districts it was almost unchanged, and in two other districts it declined slightly to moderately.

Swiss National Bank President Schlegel: If the Swiss franc appreciates, exporters will face greater difficulties.