Be in the know. 21 key reads for Friday…

  1. U.S. and China Hold First Call Since Geneva. Why It’s a Good Sign for Trade Talks. (barrons)
  2. Alibaba CEO doubles down on ‘unified global cloud network’ as Chinese firms expand abroad (scmp)
  3. Emerging market equity funds lure investors fleeing overvalued U.S. assets (reuters)
  4. How the US plans to break China’s stranglehold on lithium (ft)
  5. US Tariff Countdown Has Nations Racing to Turn Talks Into Deals (bloomberg)
  6. U.K. Retail Sales Rise for Fourth-Straight Month, Boosted by Warm Weather (wsj)
  7. Japan inflation climbs at fastest rate in more than 2 years (ft)
  8. It’s Time to Worry About Japan and the Yen Carry Trade Again (barrons)
  9. Dollar Could Drop Another 10%, Says Morgan Stanley’s Wilson (youtube)
  10. Bond Market Sees Trump Tax Bill as Big, and Not Beautiful (barrons)
  11. House budget bill effectively halts US clean energy boom (reuters)
  12. Hybrids still in the mix despite boom in fully electric cars (ft)
  13. Gas prices hit 4-year low ahead of Memorial Day weekend (nypost)
  14. Buyers are gaining the upper hand in a shifting housing market. ‘Everybody wants a deal.’ (marketwatch)
  15. Housing affordability is showing marginal improvement in some parts of U.S., says ICE’s Andy Walden (youtube)
  16. Home Price Declines Could Be on the Horizon. Don’t Expect Them to Crater. (barrons)
  17. Boeing back in ‘dynamic’ production mode, engine supplier Safran says (reuters)
  18. Advance Auto Parts Stock Soars 55%. Guidance Is Holding Up in the Face of Tariffs. (barrons)
  19. Consumer Stocks Have Taken It on the Chin. Buy These 8. (barrons)
  20. 10 Stocks with the Largest Fair Value Estimate Increases During Q1 Earnings (morningstar)
  21. UBS raises S&P year end target, eyes more gains in 2026 (reuters)