Datadog ($DDOG) reported blockbuster Q1 2026 earnings that sent shares up 31%, confirming the company as a primary AI workload beneficiary. The results lifted cloud infrastructure peers Snowflake and MongoDB, signaling that AI-driven data volumes are broadly expanding the cloud observability market.
April nonfarm payrolls came in at 115,000, more than double the Dow Jones consensus of 55,000, in the strongest labor market upside surprise in recent months. Unemployment ticked up to 4.3% as more workers re-entered the labor force. The beat sharply reduces the case for a June Fed rate cut, with market expectations now pointing toward September 2026.
DoorDash shares rose 12% after posting Q1 2026 EPS of $0.42 vs $0.36 expected and revenue of $4.04 billion (+33% YoY). Q2 gross order value guidance of $32.4-$33.4 billion topped analyst estimates.
Novo Nordisk raised its full-year 2026 guidance after Q1 sales hit $15.2 billion (+32% constant currency), driven by the oral Wegovy pill which now commands 65% of new GLP-1 prescriptions in the United States.
Whirlpool shares fell 20% Thursday after the appliance maker declared the Iran war caused a 'recession-level industry decline' in the U.S. as consumer confidence collapsed in late February and March. Skyrocketing fuel costs are driving demand destruction in large-ticket household goods.
South Korea's KOSPI touched a record 7,531.88 on Thursday before closing up 1.43% at 7,490.05. The rally pushed Korea's total market cap to $4.59 trillion, surpassing Canada to become the world's seventh-largest equity market, just ten days after overtaking the UK.
ADP's National Employment Report showed 109,000 private sector jobs added in April 2026 — the strongest monthly gain since January 2025. The figure came in 9.2% below economist consensus of 120,000, leaving markets weighing two competing signals: the labor market is recovering but slowly. The official BLS Non-Farm Payrolls report, due later this week, is the definitive read on US labor market health.
Korea Zinc (010130.KS) reported Q1 2026 revenue of ₩6.072 trillion (+58.4% YoY) and operating profit of ₩746.1 billion (+175.2% YoY) — the highest single-quarter operating profit in company history. Operating margin improved to 12.3% (+5.2pp YoY). Safe-haven-driven gold and silver price gains, antimony demand expansion, and new business profitability combined to drive the record. The board declared a Q1 dividend of ₩5,000 per share (₩102 billion total).
A US-Iran peace deal framework is advancing, with proposed terms including a freeze on Iran's nuclear enrichment, release of frozen Iranian assets, and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. Iran is expected to respond formally within 48 hours through Pakistan as mediator. Brent crude has fallen 14% from $126 to around $108, with WTI dropping below the $100 psychological level. Equity futures rallied broadly on the development.
Samsung Electronics became the 13th company globally to top $1 trillion in market capitalization, with shares surging 14.41% to ₩264,000. The KOSPI closed at an all-time high of 7,384.56 (+6.45%), with foreign investors recording ₩3.53 trillion in net purchases — one of the largest single-day inflows in Korean market history. AI infrastructure-driven structural demand and Samsung's reported foundry talks with Apple were the twin catalysts.
The U.S. SEC formally proposed on May 5, 2026 allowing public companies to substitute semiannual 10-S filings for traditional quarterly 10-Q reports. The Trump-backed rule change is optional — companies could still file quarterly — but opens a public comment period before a possible vote in 2026–2027.
South Korea's consumer price index rose 2.6% year-on-year in April 2026, hitting its highest level in 21 months, driven by a fuel-price shock tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict. Gasoline prices surged 21% and diesel 30% year-on-year, complicating the Bank of Korea's room to cut interest rates further.