Peace Hopes Ease Oil Fears as UAE Ships Crude Through Hormuz
Markets are edging higher today as investors weigh the prospect of a Middle East peace deal. Trump told reporters yesterday that talks with Iran over the past 24 hours have been productive, saying a deal is possible and "it'll be over quickly." Iran is evaluating a U.S. proposal and could respond as soon as tomorrow. Progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz pushed Brent below $100 a barrel, easing inflation fears and lifting gold.
Suspicious Oil Trades Under Federal Investigation
The DOJ is investigating a series of suspiciously timed oil trades placed just before major U.S.-Iran conflict announcements. At least four trades totaling more than $2.6B bet on falling oil prices minutes before ceasefire updates, delayed strikes, and Strait of Hormuz news. The probe follows renewed scrutiny after nearly 10,000 crude contracts worth roughly $920M were placed 70 minutes before reports the U.S. and Iran were nearing a deal. Identities behind the trades remain unknown, and neither agency has commented.
Amazon Brings Ozempic Pill to Same-Day Delivery
Amazon (AMZN) will offer same-day delivery of Novo Nordisk's (NVO) newly launched Ozempic pill through its pharmacy division, available in nearly 3,000 U.S. cities regardless of Prime membership, with plans to expand to 4,500 cities by end of 2026. The pill will also be dispensed at in-office kiosks at select One Medical clinics within minutes of an appointment. Pricing starts at $25/month with insurance and $149/month for cash-paying patients.
DoorDash Bets on Agentic Commerce, Eyes Profitability
DoorDash (DASH) is leaning into agentic ordering experiences and a proprietary physical-world catalog as its next competitive moat, with CEO Tony Xu noting roughly two-thirds of internal code is now AI-written. The company flagged a $50M Q2 headwind from extended driver gas rewards support but left its full-year EBITDA outlook unchanged, targeting margins slightly higher than 2025. New verticals are expected to reach gross profit positive in H2, with grocery share at record highs.
Papa John's Sales Slide, Buyout Talks Advance
Papa John's International (PZZA) is down -3% in premarket trading after Q1 revenue fell -7.7% YoY to $478.6M, with North America comparable sales down -6.4% on lower company-owned restaurant sales following the refranchising of 85 locations in late 2025. International comps were a bright spot at +3.6%. PZZA reiterated its 2026 outlook for flat to down low-single-digit global system-wide sales and EBITDA of $205M. Separately, Qatari-backed Irth Capital is reportedly close to announcing an acquisition of the pizza chain.
