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✍🏼 Meta Wants to Automate Ads

+ Steel stocks surge after Trump doubles steel tariffs

June 02, 2025

Good afternoon! Ready to see in the dark? Chinese researchers have unveiled infrared contact lenses that transform invisible light into something your eyes can actually process — basically turning you into a human night-vision device. The secret? Nanoparticles embedded in the lenses that convert infrared wavelengths into visible colors, letting people spot patterns, flashing signals, and even see with their eyes closed.

Sure, the images are still pretty blurry compared to military-grade night-vision goggles, but the tech is non-invasive and packed with potential. Beyond just avoiding stubbed toes at 2 a.m., these lenses could shake up everything from surgery and cryptography to rescue missions — and maybe, just maybe, disrupt the $200 billion eyewear market along the way.

MARKETS

*Stock data as of market close*

  • Markets brushed off trade tensions Monday, with the S&P 500 up 0.4%, the Nasdaq up 0.7%, and the Dow barely positive. Tech and energy stocks helped lift the indexes after an early stumble on steel tariff headlines.

  • Behind the gains, U.S.-China trade tensions flared as both sides blamed each other for a faltering deal. With a key tariff deadline looming Wednesday, investors are watching to see if Trump and Xi’s expected call can cool things down.

STOCKS
Winners & Losers

What’s up 📈

  • Applied Digital skyrocketed 48.46% after announcing two massive 15-year lease deals with CoreWeave. ($APLD)

  • Blueprint Medicines exploded 26.09% after agreeing to be acquired by Sanofi for $9.5 billion. ($BPMC)

  • BioNTech soared 18.05% following news of a multibillion-dollar cancer drug collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb. ($BNTX)

  • CoreWeave climbed 7.99% on the back of its leasing deal with Applied Digital. ($CRWV)

  • Meta Platforms popped 3.62% after reports it will roll out AI-driven ad automation by year-end. ($META)

  • Moderna gained 1.84% after receiving FDA approval for its new Covid vaccine targeting select patients. ($MRNA)

  • Bristol Myers Squibb ticked up 1.06% after announcing a new collaboration with BioNTech. ($BMY)

What’s down 📉

  • DraftKings sank 5.99% after Illinois passed a new tax on sports wagers. ($DKNG)

  • Omnicom Group dropped 4.02% on concerns over Meta’s new AI-driven ad tools. ($OMC)

  • General Motors slid 3.87% as steel tariffs sparked cost concerns across automakers. ($GM)

  • Ford fell 3.86% amid worries about steel tariff impacts on pricing. ($F)

  • Stellantis slipped 3.55% following the steel tariff news. ($STLA)

  • WPP Group lost 2.45% on fears Meta’s ad automation will disrupt agency revenues. ($WPP)

  • Tesla edged down 1.09% after weaker European sales data surfaced. ($TSLA)

AI
Meta Wants to Automate Ads and Maybe Replace Your Marketing Team

Meta is cranking up its AI ambitions, aiming to fully automate ad creation on Facebook and Instagram by the end of 2026. We’re talking soup-to-nuts automation: brands upload a product image and a budget, and Meta’s AI handles the copy, visuals, targeting — even tailoring the ad for where you live (think snowy mountains vs. buzzing city streets). Mark Zuckerberg is calling this a “redefinition of advertising” and, honestly, it sounds like the marketing equivalent of a self-driving car.

Small Businesses Cheer, Big Brands Squirm

For small and midsize businesses, this is a potential game changer. No big agency fees, no pricey production teams — just AI doing the heavy lifting. But big brands? They’re a little jumpy. Handing over creative control to Meta’s algorithms could mean ads that miss the mark, and let’s face it, no one wants their luxury perfume ad looking like an AI fever dream. Meta says it’s investing $65 billion into AI infrastructure this year to make sure the tech doesn’t glitch out — a veryexpensive insurance policy.

Why This Is More Than Just Fancy Tools: Meta’s already made 97% of its revenue from ads, and Zuckerberg’s betting that AI-driven ad automation will push that slice even bigger, maybe even reshaping a chunk of global GDP. Meta’s data shows its automated campaigns often outperform human-crafted ones — which, to be fair, probably stings a little if you work in ad creative. But as platforms like Google also roll out AI-driven ad tools, the race is on to see which tech giant can make ad buying as easy as “connect your bank account and let it rip.”

Humans: Still (Somewhat) Needed

Before you fire your marketing team, here’s the catch: even with smart AI, humans still bring something machines don’t — brand strategy, emotional nuance, and the ability to spot when an ad looks, well, weird. Meta’s vision might automate the execution, but brands will need sharp minds steering the ship, shaping creative direction, and making sure the AI’s idea of “on-brand” doesn’t land them in meme territory.

NEWS
Market Movements

COMMODITIES
Steel stocks surge after Trump doubles steel tariffs

Did you think Trump was done blowing up global trade headlines with a single sentence? Not a chance. Late last week, he announced steel and aluminum tariffs would jump from 25% to 50% starting June 4 — and steel stocks immediately partied. Cleveland-Cliffs soared 23%, Nucor spiked 10%, and Steel Dynamics popped 10%. Turns out, nothing lights up Wall Street like a good old-fashioned tariff bombshell.

Steelmakers Win, But How Long Can They Ride It?

For U.S. steelmakers, the move hands them a home-court advantage, at least for now. UBS analysts say producers have enough spare capacity to cash in as buyers pivot away from international suppliers, boosting prices and fattening margins. But the confetti might not last forever — once that extra capacity gets used up, prices are expected to settle down. Think of it like a flash sale: good for now, but don’t bank on endless discounts.

Meanwhile, Meet the Big Steel Deal: Beyond tariffs, the sector’s still buzzing over Japan’s Nippon Steel acquiring U.S. Steel for $55 a share — a deal Trump is proudly framing as a “blockbuster partnership” that’ll keep U.S. Steel’s HQ in Pittsburgh and avoid layoffs. Translation: it’s an acquisition, but with patriotic marketing spin. J.P. Morgan analysts were quick to call it what it is and bumped their price target on U.S. Steel, which has already surged 21% in the past month.

Tariff Boon or Boomerang?

Here’s where it gets dicey: while steelmakers rake in gains, other industries are sweating. Aluminum prices have shot up to their highest since 2013, and U.S. factories may soon face the pain of paying 50% more for critical materials. Citi analysts bluntly warned that the U.S. simply doesn’t have enough domestic production to replace imports. So, while steel stocks are flexing today, the broader economy might be looking at a hefty receipt down the line.

Calendar
On The Horizon

Tomorrow

The labor market data train kicks off tomorrow with the JOLTS report, which tracks how many jobs are open, how many people got hired, and how many walked away (or were shown the door). March held steady, but economists will be watching closely this time, especially with whispers of rising government layoffs floating around.

On the earnings front, expect fresh updates from Nio, Dollar General, Signet Jewelers, and the always attention-grabbing Ollie’s Bargain Outlet — yes, that’s a real company, and yes, it punches above its weight.

Earnings:

  • Crowdstrike may have stumbled into the spotlight after its headline-making outage last July, but here’s the twist: the stock has roared back, climbing nearly 50% over the past year. Even after a rough earnings season for cybersecurity peers, Crowdstrike’s ability to hold off hungry competitors suggests its core business didn’t take much of a hit.

    Yes, the valuation is rich — but if management delivers another strong beat like they did throughout last year, bulls might argue it’s worth the premium. ($CRWD)

NEWS
The Daily Rundown

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