Trump's Tariff Strategy, GTCR's OSTTRA Deal, and Netflix's Gaming Pivot

Trump Administration's Tariff Policy

• 🇺🇸 President Trump indicated potential exemptions to 10% tariffs on U.S. trading partners, while also stating that 10% is a floor for trade deal negotiations.
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland's finance minister, Karin Keller Sutter, discussed reexamining tariffs with Trump, aiming to return to a normal basis of tariffs.
• 📈 U.S. stocks closed higher for the week, but market volatility unnerved investors, leading to questions about underlying market conditions.

GTCR Nears $3.2 Billion Deal for OSTTRA

• 🏦 Private equity firm GTCR is reportedly close to acquiring OSTTRA, a venture providing post-trade services for foreign exchange and derivatives markets.
• 💰 The deal is valued at approximately $3.2 billion, with GTCR reportedly beating out rivals by preempting the auction process.
• 🛡️ This acquisition is seen as a move towards assets that are "tariff and terrorist proof", as the business is focused on trading services rather than manufacturing.

Deep Sea Mining and Tariff Surcharges

• ⛏️ The Trump administration is reportedly planning an executive order to allow stockpiling of critical metals from the Pacific seabed, part of a push to fast-track deep sea mining.
• 🇨🇳 This initiative aims to give the U.S. access to an inventory of critical minerals within its own territory, potentially as a strategic move against China.
• 🧾 Businesses are reportedly adding "Trump tariff" surcharges to receipts to transparently show customers the source of price hikes, though this strategy may alienate some customers.

Netflix's Evolving Video Game Strategy

• 🎮 Netflix is shifting its video game strategy, moving away from high-fidelity games for consoles towards games that fit within the Netflix app, similar to mobile games.
• 🚫 The company is committed to no ads and no in-game microtransactions for its games.
• 🎬 Netflix plans to develop more games based on its popular shows and movies as it seeks to find the next big hit in the video game industry.

Presidential Cognitive Exam and Sports Update

• 🧠 President Trump stated he underwent and passed a cognitive exam during his latest physical, with more details expected.
• ⛳ In sports, Justin Rose leads the Masters leaderboard after round three, followed by Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, and Corey Conners.