On A Profits-Booster, AI For Main Street & Xi’s Weak Point

The first quarter was another record-high one for S&P 500 companies’ earnings, but accounting gains posted by two behemoths—Amazon and Alphabet—skewed the results northward. Joe has the details. … Also: Melissa foresees wider adoption of AI by small businesses, with offsetting effects on productivity and on jobs creation. She also identifies the next leg of the AI investment trade, the equipment enabling data center expansion. … And: President Xi Jinping is overly optimistic about the direction of China’s economy, says William.