AGood morning, it's Tuesday. Bulgaria just elected its first female president.
BNot just a first — a landslide. About 58 percent to 39.
AIliana Iotova. Polymarket posted it on X, and AP confirms the count.
BBut here's the real wrinkle: only about 27 percent of voters showed up.
ASo a first, yes. A mandate? Not exactly.
BShe ran as the "president of peace" — against sending weapons to Ukraine, for talks with Moscow.
AWhich lands differently after those Black Sea drone attacks killed at least 24 seafarers.
BCalling yourself the peace candidate while Russian drones hit ships off your coast is a choice.
AHer backer, Prime Minister Radev, said Bulgarians chose peace. Her opponent conceded.
BThe split is pretty clean: younger voters and Sofia went pro-Western, older and rural went with Iotova.
ADW says the campaign exposed deep national divisions over Ukraine.
BSo it is not just an election. It is a signal about how Bulgaria will handle Russia.
AOr at least how one in four Bulgarians wants to handle it.
BThat is the part Washington has to think about.
AExactly. A NATO ally, and Moscow-friendly talk is still winning.
BSpeaking of markets, Jim Cramer posted on X a few minutes ago, annoyed about Palantir.
AHe says people are "willing stocks lower." That's a phrase.
BHis point: nobody has evidence of a slowdown. They just want the stock down.
APalantir trades on a story, not just next quarter's numbers. AI budgets get questioned, it wobbles.
BBut Cramer's right that "people are saying" is not data. That's how bear raids sound.
AFair. Still, the broad tape matters. Market Participant posted Alphabet and Caterpillar slipped after earnings.
BAnd Coinminutes News claims one-point-eight trillion dollars was wiped out yesterday. I don't trust the exact number.
ARight, the figure's unverified. But the direction is real: AI spending doubts drove the selling.
BSo Palantir isn't alone. That's why Cramer's fighting it — it's a sentiment war.
AHe's fighting a sentiment war with a microphone. Sometimes he wins.
BCramer's not saying buy Palantir. He's saying the slowdown story is manufactured.
AThe story's not manufactured. The selloff posts show real fear in chips and big tech.
BIntel's weakness is about Intel! Palantir's a government-software play.
APalantir also trades at a premium because of AI hype. If the hype cools, the multiple compresses.
BThat's fair. But "people are saying" still isn't a business update.
AAgreed. And if he's wrong, the chart will say so.
BOne more thing: those selloff posts don't even agree. Whales Watch says one-point-five trillion, Coinminutes says one-point-eight.
AWhich tells you even the sources can't agree on the size.
BThe fear is real, though. If AI returns aren't fast enough, valuations are too high.
ADifferent world entirely: Zerohedge posted on X, asking whether October was the peak of Hormuz ship attacks.
BThat's the right question, because those attacks pushed oil higher all month.
AIf US-Iran peace talks through Qatar actually happen, oil could fall a lot further.
BHopes for talks, not talks. That's a big difference.
AExactly. If talks stall, the risk premium comes back fast.
BBut if there's a real deal, oil could stay lower. That would take pressure off inflation.
ABig if. Hormuz hasn't been quiet just because October ended.
AOr if October wasn't the peak, the next oil spike could be violent.
BExactly. The market's guessing, not knowing.
BFair. The question mark in that headline is doing a lot of work.
AThat's the morning brief. We'll be watching the Qatari channel.
BAnd whether the "peace" vote in Bulgaria starts changing anything.