Ken Griffin, the CEO who won’t bend the knee to Trump

Key Points:

• The stock market experienced its worst quarter in four years, with cryptocurrency surprisingly outperforming traditional assets like gold, which fell 15% after a recent surge, according to Goldman Sachs data.
• Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, who manages $70 billion in assets and is politically influential in Florida, has notably withheld support from President Trump, criticizing the administration's tariff policies and crony capitalism.
• President Trump signals willingness to end the conflict with Iran within six weeks, despite ongoing regional strikes and Iranian officials denying any talks; oil prices have dropped from nearly $116 to $106 per barrel amid these developments.
• The SEC charged a Connecticut man with insider trading after he used a "mouse jiggler" to access confidential emails from his girlfriend's computer, resulting in $530,000 in illicit profits from trades in VMware and Score Media and Gaming stocks.
• Inflation concerns persist globally, highlighted by Germany’s 2.7% inflation rise in March driven by energy costs, while Morgan Stanley notes that persistent high oil prices and inflation may prevent significant stock market recovery despite potential easing of Middle East tensions.