Earthquakes rock Venezuela

Bloomberg Morning Briefing Americas  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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Good morning. Venezuela is rocked by back-to-back earthquakes. Donald Trump gets “mad as a murder hornet” at GOP Senators. And America’s “connection economy” is helping lonely hearts but struggling to scale. Listen to the day’s top stories. — Angela Cullen Market Snapshot S&P 500 Futures 7,484.75 +0.8% Nasdaq 100 Futures 30,181.75 +2.3% Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index 1,227.00 +0.0% Market data as of 07:15 AM ET. Data is subject to provider delays. Your watchlist A collapsed building in the Altamira neighborhood of Caracas. Photographer: Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images Venezuela declared a state of emergency after back-to-back earthquakes left dozens dead and hundreds injured, toppling buildings and devastating the country’s main international airport. Officials warned the death toll will probably climb as they assess the hardest-hit areas. “Mad as a murder hornet.” Donald Trump’s fiery exchange with Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy on Wednesday over the president’s war powers appears to have worked. Hours after the heated lunch meeting, Cassidy and Rand Paul reversed course to vote against reining in Trump for his handling of the Iran war. Speaking of which, the US-Iran agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz has left key parts of the oil market suddenly awash in supply as a stream of cargoes out of the waterway accelerates. Brent crude erased all of its wartime price gains, with offers from the Middle East inundating buyers. But tensions remain as Trump warned that tolls in the waterway are a red line issue in negotiations with Tehran. Elsewhere in markets, stocks rallied after Micron’s blowout forecast revived enthusiasm for the AI trade. Qualcomm gave a lofty sales outlook echoed that message as it seeks to win business from the biggest investors in data-center infrastructure. Micron and SK Hynix, which revealed plans for a blockbuster stock listing in the US yesterday, have solidified the memory chip market as the hottest part of the AI industry. Fannie, Freddie Boost Risk to Levels That Once Shook Wall Street Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are taking on more interest-rate risk in their rapidly growing investment portfolios, driving a key gauge of their exposure to levels that rattled Wall Street two decades ago. Read more Deep Dive: The Alternative World Cup Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha makes one of many acrobatic saves during the 2026 World Cup. Photographer: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images As the World Cup heads into the knockout stage, the tournament has already delivered its fair share of upsets. Underdog Cape Verde has a real shot at advancing, while Spain—a pre-tournament favorite—isn’t a shoo-in. With the US already through, it’s a good time to take stock of who’s winning off the pitch. Boasting an expected total global audience of more than 6 billion people, soccer’s Super Bowl is proving to be a lucrative, if complicated, opportunity for advertisers. The hospitality industry is cashing in, too. Just ask Gino LoPinto, who runs the highest grossing nightclub per square foot in the US. As for prediction markets, they’ve minted some big winners (and some painful losers) along the way. All that’s a far cry from the last time the World Cup came to the US. Back in 1994, its commercial clout was surprisingly modest. The Big Take The production system for the hot-cell facility at the ITM site in Neufahrn, Germany. Photographer: Jana Islinger/Bloomberg Geopolitical tensions—from Russia and China to Iran—are threatening a promising corner of the $280 billion cancer-treatment market. Big Take Podcast Why Some Boomers Are ‘Unretiring’ Opinion Micron saved the AI trade, for now, John Authers writes. But volatility levels remain troubling. Limiting exposure to chip stocks probably makes sense, particularly now that Micron has provided a good opportunity to sell high. More Opinions Allison Schrager Will Gen Z’s Financial Trauma Make It More Cautious? Paul J. Davies AI Won’t Cull Bankers, But It May Eat Their Bonuses Michael Bloomberg New Leadership Can Move the UK Past Brexit Play Alphadots! Our daily word puzzle with a plot twist. Today’s clue is: Benefits that aren’t competitive Play now! Before You Go Illustrator: Saehan Parc A new “connection economy” has emerged to solve America’s loneliness epidemic. But, despite meeting a deep human need, companies are struggling to scale intimacy into a viable business. A Couple More Inside the FDA’s Effort to Pull an Amgen Drug Over Alleged Data Manipulation Heat Wave Breaks French and UK Records as Temperatures Soar More From Bloomberg Enjoying Morning Briefing Americas? Get more news and analysis with our regional editions for Asia and Europe. Check out these newsletters, too: AI Today chronicles the disruptions and threats of AI Market Moves delivers the pulse of the market to your inbox Markets Daily has what’s moving in stocks, bonds, FX and commodities Opinion Today for an afternoon roundup of our most vital opinions Texas Edition dives into the companies and people powering America’s second-largest economy Explore all newsletters at Bloomberg.com. We’re improving your newsletter experience and we’d love your feedback. If something looks off, help us fine-tune your experience by reporting it here. Follow Us You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg’s Morning Briefing Americas newsletter. 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