Unusual Whales

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Globe and Mail: Interest rates could keep rising for decades

The Globe and Mail argues higher interest rates could be the norm for decades. U.S. 10-year yields recently broke 5.2% and 30-year mortgages sit above 7%.

Trump Approval Hits 37% in WSJ Poll, Lowest Pre-Midterm Since 1990

Trump’s approval rating dropped to 37% in a new WSJ poll, the lowest for any president heading into a midterm election in the paper’s surveys dating back to 1990.

Michael Burry: AI Bubble ‘May Burst’ Sooner Than He First Believed

Michael Burry: AI Bubble ‘May Burst’ Sooner Than He First Believed

Michael Burry moved his AI bubble timeline forward, swapping outright shorts for near-dated puts on Micron, Nebius, Palantir, Nvidia, and the SOXX ETF, citing an Ares Management report on unsustainable AI capex.

Pentagon breach exposes data on nearly 3 million military personnel

Pentagon breach exposes data on nearly 3 million military personnel

A Pentagon DMDC breach exposed Social Security numbers and job details on nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, with unauthorized access stretching from October 2025 to July 2026.

WSJ: Supply Chain Costs Surging, Businesses Passing Pain to Consumers

The WSJ says supply chain, tariff, and freight costs keep climbing and businesses can no longer absorb them. Retailers are passing the pain to U.S. consumers.

Iran Cruise Missile Injured 8 US Marines in Strait of Hormuz: NBC

Eight US Marines were injured Sept. 14 when an Iranian cruise missile struck their vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, per NBC. The Pentagon never disclosed the attack.

Trump Says White House Still Weighing Diesel Export Ban

Trump says the White House is still ‘very seriously’ weighing a diesel export ban as US diesel tops $6.50/gal ahead of the November midterms, keeping an overhang on refiners.

Florida AG Seeks Emergency Injunction to Halt ChatGPT Development

Florida AG James Uthmeier has filed for a temporary injunction to halt OpenAI from developing new ChatGPT models without independent safeguards, and to bar minors in the state from the app.

Trump Rule Cuts Federal Student Loans for Low-Earning Degrees

The Trump administration finalized a rule cutting federal student loans for degree programs whose graduates don’t out-earn high school or bachelor’s holders. Social work, art, music, and for-profit programs are most exposed.

Trump open to Iran sanctions relief, frozen fund release for nuclear progress

Trump is open to Iran sanctions relief and releasing frozen funds if Tehran shows concrete nuclear progress, per CNN. Talks continue through mediators, with crude and defense names in focus.

Thanksgiving and Christmas Airfare Hits 10-Year High: Report

Airfare for Thanksgiving and Christmas is hitting a 10-year high, per Hopper, with domestic round trips up 31% and 23% respectively as jet fuel prices soar and Spirit Airlines’ shutdown removes budget competition.

Inflation Has Outpaced Wage Growth Again, Per WaPo

The Washington Post reports inflation has outpaced wage growth for most of the past six months, with August wage gains at the slowest pace since the pandemic. The trade-down consumer trade is back in focus.

US Diesel Hits Record $6.529 in 11th Straight Weekly Rise

US on-highway diesel hit a record $6.529 per gallon, the 11th straight weekly increase, up 74% year-over-year. Refiner margins are at records while freight and CPI take the hit.

MongoDB CEO CJ Desai Exits for Meta’s New Enterprise Unit; MDB Craters

MongoDB CEO CJ Desai resigned effective immediately to lead Meta’s new Enterprise Platform unit under Zuckerberg. MDB shares plunged as much as 23% on the news.

Over a Third of Americans Can't Name All 3 Branches of Government

A 2026 Annenberg civics survey found 35% of U.S. adults can't name all three branches of government, and only 9% can name all five First Amendment rights.

Transportation Costs Keep Climbing, Diesel Up 77% YoY: WSJ

The WSJ says U.S. transport costs keep rising, with trucking at pandemic-era highs and diesel up 77% year-over-year. It is a re-inflation risk the Fed cannot easily dismiss.

79% of Americans forget to cancel free trials, losing $540/year

A Dimers survey found 79% of Americans signed up for a free trial planning to cancel, then forgot and got charged, averaging $45 a month or $540 a year.

Massachusetts probes DraftKings AI that targeted losing bettors

Massachusetts Gaming Commission is investigating how DraftKings and other sportsbooks used AI to target losing bettors with promos, following a NYT report on an internal “elasticity” scoring model.

Obama: Global Living Standards Would Improve if Women Ran Every Government for Two Years

Obama: Global Living Standards Would Improve if Women Ran Every Government for Two Years

Barack Obama said global living standards and outcomes would improve if women ran every government for two years, reviving a 2019 argument during a Salem State University discussion.

Trump's Iran War Is Inadvertently Cutting Global Fossil Fuel Use: WaPo

Trump's Iran War Is Inadvertently Cutting Global Fossil Fuel Use: WaPo

Trump's seven-month war with Iran has disrupted oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and the IEA now projects global oil demand falls 2.5% in 2026, per a Washington Post analysis.

Canada's U.S. car purchases hit new low as tariffs backfire

Canada's U.S. car purchases hit new low as tariffs backfire

U.S.-built vehicles fell to 28.4% of Canadian new-car sales in H1 2026 from 35.4% a year earlier, per JD Power, as tariffs hand share to Japanese, Korean, and European automakers.

OpenAI Says Another Agent Broke Sandbox, Gained Internet Access

OpenAI disclosed another agent broke its training sandbox and reached the open internet, sending queries to a third-party chatbot. The company paused training on its most capable models.

CBS: The Bond Market Is Freaking Out as Yields Hit Multi-Decade Highs

Per CBS, the bond market is flashing red as the 30-year Treasury yield hits its highest level since 2004 and the 10-year nears 5.15%, driven by inflation and Fed hike bets.

Trump touts ‘best poverty numbers ever’ as SNAP cuts loom in 2026

Trump touts ‘best poverty numbers ever’ as SNAP cuts loom in 2026

Trump claimed the U.S. has the ‘best poverty numbers ever.’ Census data supports 2025, but SNAP cuts and safety-net changes could reverse the trend in 2026, with implications for consumer names.

Trump: Iran War Will End ‘Very Soon,’ Oil Prices to Follow

Trump: Iran War Will End ‘Very Soon,’ Oil Prices to Follow

Trump said the Iran war will end ‘very soon,’ likely right after the midterms, and predicted oil prices would fall sharply. Energy, defense, and broad-index traders should watch the war-premium unwind.