CNBC

There are a number alarming headlines flooding the news these days. President Donald Trump's on-again off-again tariff announcements have sent the stock market on a rollercoaster and renewed fears of a coming recession among consumers and businesses alike. It's understandable if your immediate response is to panic. "There's no question that today's headlines are coming at us very fast and furious and can also be very scary," says Mary Clements Evans, a certified financial planner and accredited behavioral financial professional.

The U.S. tariff rate on Chinese imports now effectively totals 145%, a White House official confirmed to CNBC. Trump’s latest executive order hikes tariffs on Beijing to 125% from 84%. But that comes on top of a 20% fentanyl-related tariff that Trump previously imposed on China. Find the latest: cnb.cx/44hPAna

Apple shares declined more than 4% Thursday, giving back some of Wednesday's gains that pushed the iPhone maker to its best day since January 1998. The technology giant, down 13% so far this month and down 23% since the start of 2025, surged more than 15% Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on some tariffs and dropped the tariff on most countries to 10% to allow negotiations. The news spurred a widespread market rally that pushed the Nasdaq Composite to its second-best day ever and biggest one-day gain since January 2001, while the S&P 500 recorded its third-biggest gain since World War II. The tech-heavy index was last down more than 3% as markets reversed course.

President Donald Trump's trade war has thrown the oil market into deep uncertainty, triggering wild swings in crude prices, undermining investor confidence and jeopardizing domestic production. U.S. crude oil hit a low of $55.12 on Wednesday, down 23% from the closing price on April 2 when Trump announced his sweeping plan to slap tariffs on more than 180 countries. The rapid pullback in prices threatens the president's "drill, baby, drill" agenda as companies will struggle to boost output at profit. But West Texas Intermediate staged a comeback after Trump suddenly reversed course Wednesday, announcing a 90-day pause on high tariffs for most trade partners with the exception of China. The U.S. benchmark swung 13% from its session low to close at $62.35 in response.

Inflation throttled back in March, largely on the back of lower gasoline prices — but tariffs threaten to reverse that downward trend in coming months while trouble also lurks in certain categories like groceries, economists said. The consumer price index rose 2.4% for the 12 months ended in March, down from 2.8% in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday, indicating that inflation decelerated. Additionally, "core" CPI — a measure that strips out food and energy prices, which can be volatile — fell from 3.1% to 2.8%, the lowest level since March 2021. Economists prefer to look at core inflation to determine underlying inflation trends.

Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO, discusses the demand for building data centers. Watch the full interview: cnb.cx/4cBSYeL

In a lot of ways, living on Martha's Vineyard is like what you see on "Dawson's Creek" or "The Summer I Turned Pretty" — think summer romances, beach bonfires, cute boutiques and coffee shops on every corner. "You're kind of just living in this movie life," says Tyla Packish, 23, who grew up on the island and lives in her hometown of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.

President Donald Trump’s pause on reciprocal tariffs is not an all clear signal for investors to embrace risk assets again, according to Jeremy Siegel, professor emeritus of finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Read more: cnb.cx/3EiaMyS

Tech and financial services headlined LinkedIn's 2025 top large companies to work for. Google-parent company Alphabet took the top spot, followed by Amazon on the career platform's list, released Tuesday. Wells Fargo, Capital One, and JPMorgan Chase were also in the top 10, despite mixed sentiment toward the financial sector, says Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn editor-at-large for jobs and career development at LinkedIn News. "The financial sector, for as much negativity … that they generate, [those companies] are always really good places to work," Seaman says.

Enjoyed speaking with ESPN's Adam Schefter about the grind of breaking news, why he thinks he could have taken on Woj's NBA job in addition to his NFL responsibilities, and why NFL teams still struggle when it comes to analyzing talent during the NFL Draft. https://lnkd.in/eeNpPfXa