U.S. "Mini Nonfarm" Surpasses Expectations, Employment Market Shows Resilience

St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on April 1 that the energy shock tied to the Iran conflict will likely impact overall inflation and could put upward pressure on core prices. “I expect commodity price increases to feed one-for-one into overall inflation, pushing it higher for a period,” Bullard noted. “Core inflation will also face some upward pressure, and I’ll closely monitor the extent of pass-through and the correlation between the two measures.” (Source: FXStreet)

April 1 (People’s Daily) — With strong support from relevant Cambodian authorities, a working group from China’s Ministry of Public Security has successfully extradited Li Xiong, a core member of the Chen Zhi criminal group, from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to China. Investigations reveal Li Xiong previously served as chairman of the Huiwang Group under the Prince Group. He faces suspicion of crimes including operating casinos, fraud, illegal business activities, and concealing or disguising proceeds of crime. Li is currently in law enforcement custody, and related cases remain under further investigation. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Public Security stated that several key members of the Chen Zhi group have been apprehended in succession. Public security organs will continue to step up efforts to resolutely capture and bring fugitives to justice. Previously, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Chen Zhi of the Prince Group with money laundering and telecommunications fraud. In

On April 1, Bitget market data shows U.S. stocks opened higher: the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.57%, the S&P 500 gained 0.66%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.7%. Crypto-related U.S. stocks saw broad gains, including: - MicroStrategy (MSTR) +0.37% - Coinbase (COIN) +1.02% - Circle (CRCL) +2.25% - MARA Holdings (MARA) +0.61% - BitMine Immersion (BMNR) +0.78% - SharpLink Gaming (SBET) +1.63%

Al Jazeera reported April 1 that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated it has firm control over the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and will not engage with the country’s enemies amid what it labeled the U.S. president’s “ridiculous performance.” Earlier, former President Trump claimed the Iranian president had requested a ceasefire, adding he would consider the request once the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened, free, and clear.

April 1 – Former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed earlier today that the "new president of Iran’s regime has just requested a ceasefire from the United States." Analysts note that Pezheshkiyan served as Iran’s president prior to the current conflict and remains the incumbent. A key question lingers: Has he actually wielded power, either in the past or now? Iran’s presidency is largely symbolic, overseeing civilian government affairs—all policies require approval from the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Recent signs point to growing rifts between the president and the IRGC. Trump’s apparent strategy is to exploit this division: He’s signaling peace to the Iranian people via the president while framing the IRGC as an obstacle to negotiations. This could spark internal unrest, ultimately leading to regime change or at minimum, an unstable situation.

April 1: JPMorgan cuts S&P 500 target to 7200 from 7500, citing heightened economic downturn risk.