The S&P 500 Index hit an intraday high of 7272.52, extending its record rally.

On May 2, an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officer stated the Iran conflict would be a "huge failure" if Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is not removed. The stockpile, he noted, contains enough enriched uranium to build 11 nuclear bombs. Should U.S.-Iran negotiations fail to secure an agreement to remove the stockpile and halt Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, the Israeli military’s operational gains would be "meaningless," he added—warning Israel would need to launch another military operation to achieve the goal. (CCTV) Per monitoring from PolyBeats, the prediction market Polymarket currently puts the probability of a U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement being reached by 2027 at 54%.

May 2 — Circle, the issuer of USDC, announced Wednesday that it will leverage the Say platform to enable verified shareholders to submit questions and cast votes ahead of its May 11 earnings conference call. Shareholders can submit questions and votes until 9 a.m. ET this Friday, May 8. The company’s management team will address selected questions during the call.

On May 1, President Trump tweeted: "Given the EU’s failure to adhere to our fully negotiated trade agreement, I will raise tariffs on European Union cars and trucks imported to the U.S. to 25% next week. All parties fully understand and agree: no tariffs apply if the EU manufactures cars and trucks in U.S. factories. Currently, many such facilities are under construction with investments exceeding $100 billion—an automotive industry record. These plants will employ American workers and become operational soon."

**May 1 – U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen said Tuesday that being “a rat stuck in a pipeline” makes it hard to know what’s going on in the outside world. Here’s a reality check for Iran’s leadership — they’re truly in the dark amid information isolation:** 1. The U.S. fully controls the Strait of Hormuz. 2. Hard currency (read: U.S. dollars) is scarce. 3. Food and gasoline are being rationed. 4. The entire international community has turned against you. 5. The blockade will stay in place until freedom of navigation is restored (per the Feb. 27 mandate). ### Notes on American English adaptation: - **Conversational tone**: Used “hard” (vs. “difficult”) and “going on” (vs. “happening”) for naturalness. - **Conciseness**: Replaced “in short supply” with “scarce” (common in U.S. news) and “rationing is in effect” with the active “are being rationed.” - **Clarity**: Added “per the Feb. 27 mandate” to anchor the restoration timeline (common in U.S. policy briefs). - **Ca

May 1 — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has greenlit public companies to cut their financial disclosure frequency from quarterly to semi-annual, a plan that has cleared White House review and is moving closer to implementation. Per U.S. government website information, the review wrapped up earlier this week, allowing the SEC to formally announce the plan and seek public input. Once public feedback is received, SEC commissioners will need to vote again on the rule’s final version before it takes effect — a vote typically held several months later. The SEC has been advancing this corporate disclosure reform plan since last year, when former President Trump called for replacing quarterly reports with semi-annual ones. U.S. public companies have been required to file quarterly financial disclosures since 1970.

As of May 1, Bitget market data shows Intel’s U.S. stock market capitalization has topped $500 billion, with its share price exceeding $100—up 4.8% intraday and over 173% year-to-date. In August last year, the Trump administration converted $8.9 billion in "Chip Act" appropriations and Secure Enclave funding into 433.3 million Intel shares at $20.47 apiece, securing roughly 9.9% ownership. With Intel’s intraday share price hitting $100 today, that holding is now worth around $49.5 billion—nearly a fivefold jump in less than a year. Additionally, the U.S. government holds warrants to purchase an extra 5% stake at $20 per share.