Bloomberg Morning Briefing Americas  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
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Good morning. Oil falls and stock futures rally on fresh US-Iran peace hopes. Samsung joins the $1 trillion club. And it may be time to check your travel insurance. Listen to the day’s top stories.

— Hellmuth Tromm

Market Snapshot
S&P 500 Futures7,360.25+1.0%
Nasdaq 100 Futures28,598.75+1.6%
WTI crude oil futures$89.68-12%
Market data as of 07:10 AM ET. Data is subject to provider delays.

Oil slumped after Axios reported that the US believes it’s nearing a deal with Iran to end the war. Donald Trump earlier said he would pause US efforts to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz to allow for talks, just hours after unveiling the plan. China urged Tehran to keep negotiating.

Futures jumped, extending a rally led by tech stocks that was boosted by chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices’ AI-driven blockbuster sales forecast. Gold climbed on Iran developments, while the yen surged to a two-month high, prompting renewed speculation that Japanese authorities may have intervened.

An image of a semiconductor wafer displayed at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) Museum of Innovation in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. TSMC is scheduled to release earnings results on April 18. Photographer: An Rong Xu/Bloomberg

AI Is Pushing Chipmaking to Its Limits

Semiconductors power modern technology, from AI to everyday devices. Now, global tensions and rising demand are forcing the chip supply chain to adapt.

Watch the video

US gasoline prices topped $4.50 a gallon for the first time since July 2022 as shipowners scramble for workarounds with the Hormuz chokepoint still shut. Trump has promised pump prices will fall, but the longer they stay elevated, the greater the political risk for the Republicans as energy costs ripple through the economy.

In Ohio, a key midterm battleground, voters backed Vivek Ramaswamy for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, while Democrat Sherrod Brown secured another Senate run as his party eyes control through states Trump won. In Indiana, Trump-backed challengers ousted most GOP state senators who opposed his redistricting push.

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Deep Dive

Visitors at the Samsung Electronics Co. Booth during the Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX) in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. The exhibition will continue through Oct. 24. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg
The Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX) in Seoul, South Korea, on Oct. 23, 2024.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

Samsung reached a $1 trillion market valuation after its shares surged as much as 13%—and more than quadrupled over the past year—on booming AI chip demand. It joins TSMC in an elite club as only the second Asian firm to hit the mark.

  • The rally lifted the Kospi above 7,000, extending gains after South Korea overtook the UK last month to become the world’s eighth-largest stock market.
  • Samsung, SK Hynix and TSMC are at the center of Asia’s AI chip boom, driving a boom in regional tech stocks on strong demand for advanced processors.
  • Samsung’s chip unit recently posted record profit, while Apple has explored using the company for US processor production alongside TSMC.
  • But not everyone is feeling the benefit. The AI windfall contrasts with weakness elsewhere and rising labor tensions, including a potential strike.

Coming soon: Get the AI Today newsletter—chronicling the disruptions and threats of AI on businesses, workers, governments and economies with analysis from Bloomberg’s global newsroom.

The Big Take

US military learn forest survival skills near Colón, in February. Photographer: Luis Antonio Rojas/Bloomberg
US military learn forest survival skills near Colón, in February.
Photographer: Luis Antonio Rojas/Bloomberg

The US has reopened its jungle training school in Panama, drilling troops in rainforest survival and combat in a joint exercise with local forces. It’s part of a wider strategy to project power in Latin America and push back against China.

Big Take Podcast

Opinion

Traders work on the floor of the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Monday, May 4, 2026. Stocks fell from all-time highs as oil climbed on concerns that heightened Middle East tensions could threaten a fragile ceasefire, keeping energy costs elevated while fueling inflation risks. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
The New York Stock Exchange.
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

US stocks are at yet another record, driven mainly by momentum and liquidity. But with investors largely indifferent to quality, the rally looks fragile if the news worsens, John Authers writes.

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Before You Go

Stranded passengers wait at the Velana International Airport in Male on March 1, 2026 after the cancellation of several flights destined for the Middle East. Photographer: Mohamed Afrah
Stranded passengers wait at the Velana International Airport in Male on March 1.
Photographer: Mohamed Afrah/AFP

How good is your travel insurance? Sales are booming as disruptions mount, but many travelers are finding their policies actually exclude current risks like war and fuel shortages. Here’s your guide to navigating the gaps.

A Couple More

More From Bloomberg

Enjoying Morning Briefing Americas? Get more news and analysis with our regional editions for Asia and Europe. Check out these newsletters, too:

  • AI Today chronicles the disruptions and threats of AI
  • Market Moves delivers the pulse of the market to your inbox
  • Markets Daily has what’s moving in stocks, bonds, FX and commodities
  • Opinion Today for an afternoon roundup of our most vital opinions
  • Texas Edition dives into the companies and people powering America’s second-largest economy

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