Welcome to Markets Desk, here's what's moving the needle this hour.
American manufacturers expanded for the fourth consecutive month in April, marking the longest growth streak in four years. But that momentum is already facing headwinds, as rising oil prices and war-driven inflation threaten to choke off what has been a fragile and hard-won industrial recovery.
Speaking of that conflict, Iran has submitted a new peace proposal even as the White House declared the war officially terminated and argued congressional reauthorization past the sixty-day deadline is simply unnecessary. That legal argument is already drawing scrutiny on the Hill, and the geopolitical uncertainty is keeping energy markets on edge.
On the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell made a striking move this week, announcing he will remain on the board of governors after his chairmanship ends rather than departing outright. The decision breaks with long-standing tradition but could actually benefit his presumed successor Kevin Warsh, insulating the incoming chairman from political pressure during a particularly sensitive transition period for monetary policy.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
