Midday update: Seagate just popped over 16% on a top-and-bottom-line Q3 beat, the UAE is reportedly leaving OPEC/OPEC+ on May 1 to lift output, and OpenAI's CFO just warned the company isn't ready to IPO and may struggle to meet compute purchase commitments. FOMC lands tonight (SGT 2 AM Apr 30) with markets parsing every word for Powell's tenure intentions, while DBS prints Q1 tomorrow and HDB just rolled out a S$130m estate-upgrade programme.
๐ฌ Today's 3 Big Questions
- UAE quietly exiting OPEC/OPEC+ on May 1 to raise output โ meanwhile Iran wants TOLLS on every tanker through Hormuz. Net oil direction? Bigger UAE supply wave vs. effective transit tax from Tehran. How are you positioning: long energy, short energy, long Singapore banks (cheaper-oil consumer beneficiary), or sit on hands until July?
- OpenAI's CFO just flagged user/revenue misses AND warned the company "isn't ready to IPO" while struggling with compute purchase commitments. First real crack in the AI capex super-cycle, or one private company's lumpy quarter that doesn't read across to MSFT / NVDA / AMZN heading into tonight's Mag7 numbers?
- FOMC tonight, with Senator Tillis suggesting Powell staying past his term is "reasonable but not indefinite." If Powell signals continuity at 2 AM SGT, do you rotate INTO long-duration tech (Mag7, Nvidia) or stay overweight Singapore banks/REITs riding the MAS-tightening flywheel? Make the call.
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โฐ Deadline: April 29, 2026, 11:59 PM (SGT)
๐ Quick Market Recap
๐ Global Macro & Markets
- UAE reportedly exiting OPEC/OPEC+ on May 1 โ first major Gulf producer to leave the cartel; will gradually raise output. Bearish for Brent at the margin against a hawkish Iran demanding Hormuz transit tolls.
- Iran-Trump: Trump says Iran wants to reopen Hormuz "as soon as possible"; Tehran insists it controls the strait and wants tolls. US media reports Iran may submit an adjusted proposal to Brazil.
- FOMC + Powell presser tonight (SGT Apr 30 ~2 AM); March PCE Wednesday US time. Senator Tillis: Powell staying past term-end is "reasonable but not indefinite."
๐บ๐ธ US Markets: Mega Earnings Wave Meets a Cracking AI Narrative
- ๐ Mag7 in focus: Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon all print this week.
- Seagate โ Q3 results beat both top and bottom; stock surged over 16% on AI-driven HDD demand and HAMR ramp commentary. Storage cycle thesis just got fresh validation.
- Nvidia โ launched Nemotron 3 Nano Omni, an efficient multimodal model targeting on-device and edge AI workloads. Market cap remains north of US$5.2 trillion.
- OpenAI โ CFO warned the company isn't ready to IPO; user growth and revenue have missed internal targets, and OpenAI may struggle to meet compute purchase commitments. Watch the read-across to Microsoft and Nvidia.
- Alphabet / Microsoft / Meta / Amazon โ earnings clustered Apr 28โMay 1; AI capex and cloud margin commentary will set Q2 sentiment.
๐ญ๐ฐ Hong Kong Markets
- Sunmi Technology-W โ officially lists today after a strong grey-market session; first major weighted-voting-rights HKEX debut of the season, testing real demand for HK new-tech IPOs.
- YOFC (Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable) โ Q1 results due; AI capex tailwinds for fibre demand are the key narrative.
- Ganfeng Lithium โ Q1 results; lithium prices have stabilised but battery-material margins remain under structural pressure.
- Sanhua Intelligent Controls โ Q1 print on the calendar; thermal management for EVs and data-centre liquid cooling is the dual-engine story.
๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore Markets
- ๐ STI hovering near 5,000; OCBC Research base-case target 5,250 (16x forward earnings).
- March CPI confirmed imported inflation: headline 1.8%, core 1.7% (17-month high), transport +6.0%; MAS S$NEER tightening on Apr 14 remains the buffer.
- HDB โ fresh S$130m upgrade programme covers 27 estates; ~30,000 households benefit; record 19,600 BTO flats targeted in 2026.
- DBS โ Q1 results tomorrow (Apr 30); kicks off the SG big-three earnings parade.
- ST Engineering โ S$4.8bn Q1 new contracts spanning AI/GPU infrastructure, cybersecurity, rail electronics and US tolling.
- CICT revenue +8.0% / Suntec REIT DPU +23.9% / Keppel DC REIT +13.2%; First REIT lags โ13.8% with a S$471.5m Indonesian asset divestment plan.
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Key Events This Week
- ๐บ๐ธ FOMC + Powell presser โ Tonight (SGT Apr 30 ~2 AM)
- ๐บ๐ธ March PCE inflation โ Apr 30 (SGT evening)
- ๐ธ๐ฌ DBS Q1 results โ Apr 30
- ๐บ๐ธ/๐ญ๐ฐ Mag7 + HK Q1 earnings cluster โ Apr 28โMay 1
- ๐บ๐ธ Berkshire Hathaway AGM (Abel's first as CEO) โ May 2โ3 (Beijing time)
Disclaimer: For reference only, not investment advice.