Shein & Temu Face a U.S. Tariff Tsunami

MARKET MOVES

Oil Falls to 4-Year Low as OPEC+ Boosts Output

Wall Street wavered Monday as OPEC+ announced it would raise oil production by 411,000 barrels/day starting June. Crude oil dropped 1.8% to $57.22/barrel — putting pressure on U.S. energy companies already struggling below the $60 profit line.

Meanwhile:

• S&P 500 slipped 0.2%

• Nasdaq dropped 0.3%

• Apple, Tesla, and Amazon all fell over 1.5%

• Berkshire Hathaway dropped 4.2% after Warren Buffett announced he’s stepping down as CEO

Why it matters:
Supply spikes, slowing demand, and leadership shifts are reshaping short-term investor confidence. Volatility is back on the menu.

 SIGNALS

Retail Investors Are the New Buffett
While hedge funds fled during recent market dips, individual investors bought in. Vanguard reported that 97% of 401(k) investors didn’t make any trades during recent volatility.

It’s a surprising sign of discipline — and maybe a shift from “dumb money” to durable conviction.

BREAKTHROUGHS

Slate’s Bare-Bones $20K EV Truck Could Flip the Market

 Backed by Jeff Bezos, designed in California + Michigan

The startup Slate just launched “Blank Slate,” a $20,000 electric truck with no paint, stereo, or touchscreen — just a modular, minimalist platform you can fully customize.

Why it’s bold:

• Massively reduces manufacturing costs

• Simplifies production to a single base model

• Targets budget-conscious consumers, not luxury buyers

Slate’s strategy: less is more — and cheaper is disruptive.

GLOBAL SHAKEUPS

Shein & Temu Face a U.S. Tariff Tsunami
New trade rules removing the de minimis exemption will slap major tariffs on low-cost e-commerce imports. That’s bad news for Shein and Temu, whose business models rely on dirt-cheap international shipping.

Potential outcomes:

• Higher prices for consumers
  

• Advantage for domestic brands
  

• Cross-border e-commerce gets a hard reset
  

🎬 WEEKEND WINS

⚽ Wrexham FC Hits Third Promotion
From a $2.5M joke investment to a potential $100M global brand, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny have turned Wrexham into one of the hottest names in soccer — and sports business.

📝 Netflix Upgrades Subtitles
New options let users filter out non-dialogue sounds and customize captions. It’s a small UX tweak, but reflects a broader trend: subtitles as standard, not optional.