Unusual Whales

Macro

Trump: U.S. Likely to Pay Back $149 Billion in Tariffs

Trump said the U.S. will likely have to refund roughly $149 billion in tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA duties. The refund is on top of an estimated $300 billion in lost annual tariff revenue.

Macro

U.S. National Debt Hits $39 Trillion, Adding $5B a Day Since October

U.S. national debt has officially crossed $39 trillion, with roughly $5 billion added every day since late October. Interest costs now rival defense and education spending combined.

Markets

The resume is dying as hiring shifts to skills and proof of work

Traditional resumes are losing ground to portfolios, skills tests, and proof-of-work hiring as AI reshapes how companies screen talent. Here is what it means for LinkedIn, HR tech, and the labor market.

AI

OpenAI Says Internal AI Model Cracked 80-Year-Old Erdős Conjecture

OpenAI says an internal reasoning model disproved an 80-year-old Erdős conjecture in discrete geometry, with external mathematicians verifying the proof. A potential milestone for AI-driven research.

Politics

US Government Drops Tax Claims Against Trump in Settlement

The U.S. government has agreed to permanently drop tax claims against President Trump, resolving his lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax returns.

AI

89% of Leaders Say AI Hasn't Boosted Labor Productivity: Gallup

An NBER survey cited by Gallup shows 89% of executives report no AI productivity gains in three years, even as adoption hits 70%. The disconnect raises questions for AI capex names.

Politics

Government waste, fraud and abuse rose 13% last year despite DOGE

Federal waste, fraud and abuse rose roughly 13% last year despite DOGE's pledge to root it out, with $162B in improper payments across 68 programs in FY2024.

AI

AI Now Costs More Than Human Workers, Nvidia VP Admits

An Nvidia VP says AI compute now costs more than the employees using it, Uber blew its 2026 AI budget in four months, and an MIT study found humans are still cheaper in 77% of visual tasks.

Geopolitics

Russian Cargo Ship Carrying Nuclear Reactors Sinks Off Spain

A Russian cargo ship carrying two nuclear reactors sank off Spain's coast under unexplained circumstances, raising concerns over nuclear material security.

Tech

Microsoft Fires Israel GM Alon Haimovich Over Azure Surveillance Probe

Microsoft fired Israel GM Alon Haimovich and other senior managers after a probe linked Azure cloud services to Unit 8200’s surveillance of Palestinians. Microsoft Israel now reports to Microsoft France.

Markets

DOJ Drops Fraud Charges Against Gautam Adani After Hiring Trump's Lawyer

The U.S. Department of Justice is dropping fraud charges against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani after he hired President Trump's personal lawyer and offered a $10 billion U.S. investment.

Politics

Border Patrol Chief Resigns Amid Allegations of Soliciting Sex Workers

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks resigns amid allegations of soliciting sex workers during overseas trips, raising concerns about agency ethics and potential market implications.

Markets

Iran Conflict Triggers Diet Coke Shortage in India

The Iran conflict disrupts aluminum can supply, leading to a Diet Coke shortage in India. Coca-Cola (KO) faces supply chain challenges amid rising aluminum prices.

Energy

Maryland Ratepayers to Eat $1.6B in Data Center Grid Costs Over a Decade

Maryland's Office of People's Counsel says homeowners will pay an extra $1.6 billion over 10 years to fund PJM transmission upgrades driven by out-of-state data centers, and has filed a FERC complaint.

Markets

Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Confirms Rare Human-to-Human Transmission

A hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has resulted in three deaths and confirmed rare human-to-human transmission, raising concerns for the cruise industry.

Energy

$920M Crude Oil Short Hit 70 Minutes Before US-Iran Deal Report

A $920M crude oil short hit the tape at 3:40 AM ET, 70 minutes before Axios broke a US-Iran 14-point deal report. Oil fell 12%, netting roughly $125M in paper gains.

Markets

FBI Charges 30 in Decade-Long Global Insider Trading Ring

FBI Boston has charged 30 people, including corporate attorneys, in a decade-long insider trading scheme tied to stolen M&A information from major U.S. law firms, with trades made ahead of deals like Amazon’s iRobot bid.

Markets

23 Hantavirus Cruise Passengers Returned Home, Including to US

At least 23 passengers from the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius cruise have returned home, including to the US, with one already sick. Cruise operator stocks back in focus.

Politics

RFK Jr. Defends Trump's '600% Drug Price Cut' Math at Senate Hearing

HHS Secretary RFK Jr. told the Senate that Trump has a different way of calculating percentages, defending the claim that TrumpRx cuts drug prices by 600%. The actual figure is 98.3%.

Markets

Powell to Remain as Fed Governor Post-Chair Term Amid Legal Pressures

Jerome Powell will continue as a Federal Reserve governor after his chair term ends, citing legal challenges threatening the Fed's independence.

Markets

Housing Affordability Hits Historic Lows as Buyers Sit Out 2026

Home prices remain elevated, mortgage rates are still above 6%, and existing home sales are near post-2008 lows. The market is not crashing, but it is frozen.

Markets

LIV Golf Loses Saudi PIF Funding, Future Uncertain

LIV Golf is losing its financial backing from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) after the current season, casting significant doubt on the league's future and impacting top players.

Markets

West Texas Natural Gas Plummets Below Zero Amid Permian Oversupply

Natural gas prices in West Texas's Permian Basin have fallen below zero, forcing producers to pay buyers to take their supply. This oversupply is driven by booming oil production and a lack of pipeline capacity to move the associated gas out of the region.

stocks

Here's the options activity for WALMART INC (WMT)

Unusual Options Activity and Flow in WALMART INC (WMT) Today, we Unusual Whales saw tons of unusual options activity, order flow, stock volume, and general options flow. Let's look at some for WALMART INC (WMT). Here are the options volume by expiry currently for WMT: Here are the

stocks

Here's the options activity for NIKE INC (NKE)

Unusual Options Activity and Flow in NIKE INC (NKE) Today, we Unusual Whales saw tons of unusual options activity, order flow, stock volume, and general options flow. Let's look at some for NIKE INC (NKE). Here are the options volume by expiry currently for NKE: Here are the