Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) Brent oil rallied to a four-year high after Axios reported that US President Trump will receive a briefing on new military options for action in Iran. The US and Iran have maintained their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, with the conflict in the Middle East called the biggest supply shock in history by the International Energy Agency.
2) Alphabet's Google is seeing a clear payoff from its AI spending, with solid growth at its cloud computing unit and a "meaningful acceleration in growth" driven by demand for its AI software and infrastructure. Meta Platforms is lagging behind, with its shares tumbling more than 6% after the company boosted full-year capital expenditures, and its consumer AI app being slower to take off. The four companies, including Amazon and Microsoft, are expected to spend as much as $725 billion in 2026, with a key question being whether that massive spending is providing tangible results.
3) Shares of Bill Ackman's Pershing Square USA Ltd. plunged 18% in its debut after the combined initial public offering raised $5 billion. The $5 billion haul was the bare minimum to keep early investors locked into the deal, and fell short of the $25 billion that Pershing Square sought to bring in. Pershing Square USA deserves to trade at a premium to its net assets over time if the newly listed closed-end fund delivers the same outperformance as the hedge fund firm has in the past, Ackman said.
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Four of the biggest companies in the US: Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft all reported earnings after the bell.

- Meta Platforms shares slid after the company raised its spending outlook for the year, reigniting fears that the historic levels of investment it’s making to build artificial intelligence models won’t pay off.

- Microsoft's cloud business reported growth that narrowly beat analysts’ estimates, disappointing investors concerned that the company isn’t fully capitalizing on demand for AI services.

- Amazon spent more than anticipated to expand data center capacity in the quarter, fueling the fastest sales growth for its cloud unit in more than three years.

- Alphabet (GOOGL) reported quarterly revenue and profit that beat projections, fueled by strong growth in its cloud computing unit, signaling that the internet giant’s unprecedented investments in AI infrastructure are beginning to pay off.
For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Businessweek Daily hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec speak with:
Ed Ludlow, cohost of Bloomberg Tech
Ron Westfall, HyperFRAME Research Infrastructure and Networking VP & Practice Leader
Anurag Rana, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst
Matt Day, Bloomberg News Technology Reporter
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Bloomberg's Tom Keene and Jonathan Ferro and Lisa Abramowicz discuss remarks from Fed Chair Jay Powell following the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision on a special edition of Bloomberg Surveillance.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he’ll remain at the central bank as a governor after his term as chair ends. “After my term as chair ends on May 15, I will continue to serve as a governor for a period of time to be determined,” Powell said Wednesday at a press conference.

While Powell’s term as Fed chair ends on May 15, his seat on the Board of Governors doesn’t expire until 2028. “I plan to keep a low profile as a governor,” he said. “There is only ever one chair of the Federal Reserve Board. When Kevin Warsh is confirmed and sworn in, he will be that chair.”
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Bloomberg's Tom Keene, Jonathan Ferro and Lisa Abramowicz break down the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision on a special edition of Bloomberg Surveillance.
Federal Reserve officials left interest rates unchanged, but revealed a deepening division over the outlook for policy amid increased uncertainty caused by the conflict in the Middle East.Four officials voted against the decision, including three who objected to language in their post-meeting statement that suggested the central bank would eventually resume cutting rates.
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Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.
On today's podcast:
1) The US signaled it would stick with a naval blockade of Iranian ports, as it tries to choke-off Tehran’s oil exports and force it back to the negotiating table. US President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that Iran was in a “state of collapse.” His treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, later said Washington’s “maximum pressure campaign” had caused Iran’s inflation to accelerate and that the country was running out of oil storage. It would soon have to start cutting production, Bessent said.
2) King Charles III called on the US to maintain its leadership role in the world, and to support Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in a remarkably pointed speech for a monarch that urged Americans to resist the pull of isolationism.Charles used his remarks to a joint session of Congress — the first such address by a British monarch in more than three decades — to argue for preserving the alliance between the UK and US. The king appealed to the shared heritage between the two nations, sprinkling his remarks with references to culture, religion and principles behind America’s decision to declare independence 250 years ago
3) With the Fed widely expected to keep rates on hold at the April 28-29 FOMC meeting, the more interesting revelation will concern Jerome Powell’s future: Will he stay on or leave the Fed when his term as chair expires May 15? Regardless of his plans, we think Powell will offer only limited forward guidance on policy at his final news conference as chair, with Kevin Walsh on track to be confirmed as his successor.
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