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Good morning investors!

If this is your first time reading, welcome to The Investor’s Edge — a thriving community of over 24,000 subscribers striving to be better investors with an edge in the market.

Every Wednesday we publish “The Mid-Week Wrap-Up” — your ticket to being well informed and staying ahead in the investment game!

This report is designed to help investors of all skill levels break down important stories/topics within the stock market. And best of all, we cut through all of the BS and give you exactly what you need to know in easy to digest, bite sized pieces of content.

This article is designed to truly give you that EDGE in the day ahead!

Grab your afternoon pick me up and let’s dive in.

Market Talk

Markets are approaching all-time highs on the heels of the ceasefire news out of the Middle East, with all three major indexes surging to start the week.

3 Stories Moving the Market

These are some of the biggest stories so far this week that are having an influence on market action.

U.S. B-2 Strike on Iran Triggers Market Shock Before Trump Forces Ceasefire

Global markets were shaken early this week after U.S. B-2 stealth bombers, under direct order from President Trump, launched a surprise assault on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities. The strikes marked a dramatic escalation in the region, triggering limited retaliation from Iran and raising fears of a prolonged war. But by Tuesday, a ceasefire was in place, brokered through indirect diplomacy, halting further attacks from both sides. Markets rebounded, but the region remains tense with nuclear oversight now in question.

🔑 Key Points

• U.S. leads strike: Trump authorized a fleet of B-2 bombers to hit Fordow and Natanz with 30,000-pound bunker-busters, crippling Iran’s enrichment capacity.

• Iran retaliates lightly: Tehran launched 19 missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar but warned in advance; all but one were intercepted.

• Ceasefire enforced: A truce was agreed by Tuesday morning, temporarily halting hostilities after days of strikes.

• Markets react fast: Oil spiked 10% post-strike before fading quickly on ceasefire news; while stocks rose to near all-time highs following the truce.

• Nuclear risk persists: Iran is now limiting IAEA access and vowing no negotiations under threat, keeping tensions unresolved.

👀 What You Need to Know

The ceasefire brought rapid relief to markets, but the underlying conflict remains unresolved. Markets are pricing in calm, but nuclear oversight gaps, ongoing missile threats, and unpredictability from all sides keep geopolitical risk high. For investors, this isn't over, and energy prices, defense equities, and global inflation expectations remain tightly tied to what happens next.

Tesla’s Robotaxi Rollout Sparks Safety Probe as Waymo-Uber Expand in Atlanta

Tesla’s robotaxi pilot launched in Austin over the weekend but was quickly met with scrutiny after videos surfaced showing dangerous driving behavior. Federal regulators confirmed an active review is underway. Meanwhile, Waymo and Uber are now offering fully driverless rides in Atlanta, extending their reach as Tesla’s rollout remains tightly limited and supervised.

🔑 Key Points

• Tesla Faces Scrutiny: NHTSA is reviewing incidents after Tesla robotaxis were seen braking erratically and driving the wrong way.

• Pilot Is Restricted: Tesla’s vehicles run only in daylight with a human safety rider, and are limited to invite-only users.

• Waymo-Uber Expand: Fully driverless Waymo rides are now live in Atlanta via the Uber app, covering a 65-square-mile area.

• Tech Gap Persists: Waymo uses lidar, radar, and has no human monitor, while Tesla relies on vision-only systems and human backups.

• Market Divergence: Tesla jumped 8% on Monday; Uber rose 7.5% Tuesday on investor optimism around Waymo expansion.

👀 What You Need to Know

This is a clear contrast in execution: Tesla is years behind its promises and still needs human monitors, while Waymo and Uber are now scaling truly autonomous rides across major cities, with Waymo logging over 10 million paid trips. Tesla’s rollout feels more like optics than a breakthrough, and with regulators watching closely, the pressure is on.

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Powell Warns Congress That Tariffs Could Rekindle Inflation

Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned Congress that while tariffs might appear as a one-time shock, they carry serious risk of sparking persistent inflation, especially given inflation has been above target for four years. Powell noted the Fed has no modern precedent for tariffs of this scale, and said officials will be watching the June and July inflation prints closely before considering rate cuts. Despite pressure from Trump and Republican lawmakers to ease policy now, the Fed is holding steady, stressing that stability, not politics, guides its decisions.

🔑 Key Points

• Tariffs pose inflation risk: Powell said tariffs could be a one-off event but warned they could just as easily create sticky inflation if expectations shift.

• No historical guide: The Fed has no modern precedent for large tariffs during a period of elevated inflation, complicating its policy outlook.

• Fed on Hold (for now): The Fed still sees cuts ahead in 2025, but won’t move until it sees how tariffs affect inflation this summer.

• Political pressure mounts: Trump-aligned Republicans accused Powell of bias, but he held firm on the Fed’s independence and inflation mandate.

• Key data ahead: June and July inflation reports will be crucial in determining whether the Fed cuts rates in September or waits longer.

👀 What You Need to Know

Powell made clear that tariffs could reignite inflation in ways that force the Fed to stay sidelined longer. Even with core inflation easing slightly, the central bank is holding rates steady until it sees how import taxes flow through to consumer prices. Markets may want cuts, and Trump’s allies are demanding them, but with the July 9 tariff deadline looming and summer inflation data on the way, the Fed is bracing for volatility, not rushing into accommodation.

In Other News

In this section we'll be curating a selection of news headlines we think you'll find interesting. If a topic catches your eye, click the provided links to read more about it.

• Tesla’s European car sales nosedive for fifth month as customers switch to Chinese EVs

• Apple To Utilize TSMC’s Advanced Packaging Tech For Its A20 Chips

• Amazon to invest £40 billion in the UK over next three years

• Mastercard partners with Fiserv to accelerate mainstream stablecoin adoption

• BP shares jump on report it is in early-stage talks to be acquired by Shell

• FedEx beats earnings estimates, forecasts $1 billion cost savings in the next fiscal year

• Walmart Tests Dark Stores to Boost Delivery Speed

• Target Explores Factory-Direct Shipping Model Used by Temu

• Vietnam PM expects US trade deal before July tariff deadline

• Starbucks says it is not currently considering a full sale of its China operations

• Hims & Hers stock plunges after Novo Nordisk ends Wegovy direct sales deal

• BYD slows production, delays capacity expansion at China factories

• T-Mobile’s satellite service officially launches in July

The Second Half

All time highs are in reach as we await a key inflation report and earnings from Micron and Nike.

Earnings Reports

As the Q2 earnings season officially wraps up, there are still two major names on our coverage list left to report this week, Micron and Nike.

Here is the calendar of earnings releases scheduled for the rest of the week:

Economic Reports

All eyes will be on Friday’s PCE report to see if tariffs are hitting prices yet, or if inflation continues to trend to the Fed’s 2% target. While May’s numbers are expected to be muted, this report is still an important data point for the Fed and future interest rate decisions.

We also get initial jobless claims, GDP, pending home sales, and consumer sentiment data.

Here is the full calendar of events scheduled for the remainder of the week:

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Thank you for reading this edition of the Mid-Week Wrap-Up.

Until next time investors!

Mark & Chris

The Investor’s Edge

Disclosure

This is not investing advice. It is very important that you do your own research and make investments based on your own personal circumstances, preferences, goals and risk tolerance.