Economy

Price pressures are becoming entrenched in the economy, which will likely push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates even more aggressively.

"I've never seen inventory surges like this in my career, and I've been around for a long time," said Cathie Wood, the head of Ark Investment Management.

As imports fell amid China's Covid lockdowns and U.S. exports grew, the U.S. trade deficit shrunk by 19.1% in April.

She points to slowing growth in the core inflation rate as indicating that price hikes are moderating. Still, in this geopolitical climate, "we can't rule out further shocks."

"When interest rates are at or close to zero, it's very easy to get credit and the difference between a good company and a bad company is narrow. When the tide runs out, you figure out who is swimming naked."

Adjusted pretax profits decreased by an annualized 2.3% in Q1, although without the adjustment, after-tax profits increased 1.5%.

On the positive side, half of CFOs believe the economic impact of Covid-19 is waning.

A primer on what's fueling the highest inflation in decades.