Greetings! Happy National Grammar Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

Starbucks brought the premium coffee experience to every street corner and grew to a $110B market cap. The Bouqs Co. is using the same playbook, but for the floral industry.

While they are already a dominant force in e-commerce, the company is now launching 70+ retail stores nationwide. This expansion is designed to capture the $18 billion U.S. flower market through a first-of-its-kind national chain of floral studios.

In counties where Bouqs stores have already opened, the brand has seen a staggering 100% year-over-year growth. That’s because each retail location acts as a profit-driving billboard and a high-efficiency fulfillment center. These shops also unlock high-margin event services and same-day delivery that traditional online-only competitors simply cannot match.

With individual store revenues reaching up to $1.2 million annually, the "Bouqs Flywheel" is in full effect. The company is already EBITDA positive and inviting the public to join their national scale-up.

Now is your opportunity to join Bouqs and invest in this floral retail revolution.

Invest in The Bouqs Co.

^{This is a paid advertisement for The Bouq’s Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.bouqs.com/}

🇨🇳 China trims its growth aim as headwinds stack. Premier Li Qiang told the National People’s Congress that China wants 4.5% to 5% growth in 2026. It is the lowest target since 1991. Li said China grew 5% last year. He pointed to a prolonged property slump and weak demand. He also warned that tariff wars are reshaping trade after President Donald Trump raised duties. Beijing reported a record trade surplus near $1.2T. Officials said 250B yuan ($36B) in bonds will fund consumer trade-in rebates. The budget also trims defense-spending growth to 7%, even as outlays hit 1.9T yuan ($270B). President Xi Jinping is selling continuity, but the economy is asking for change.

🇮🇷 Mojtaba Khamenei emerges as a shadow heir in wartime Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He has never held an elected or appointed government job. He disappeared from public view after an Israeli strike killed his 86-year-old father. The same strike also killed Mojtaba’s wife, Zahra Haddad Adel, from a family tied to the theocracy. Officials believe Mojtaba is alive and likely in hiding as strikes continue. Iran’s next leader will be chosen by the 88-seat Assembly of Experts. Supporters describe him as an internal gatekeeper and power broker in Tehran. Critics warn that succession by blood would mimic the monarchy the revolution toppled. Whoever takes the post inherits a wartime military and a stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

🏛️ James Talarico wins Texas Democrats’ Senate nod with a unity pitch. State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Austin, defeated Representative Jasmine Crockett. Unofficial returns showed him piling up votes around Austin in Travis County. Talarico outspent Crockett on television by more than 4-to-1 by late February. He also gained donations after CBS declined to air his Stephen Colbert interview, citing fear of President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Crockett said she would sue over voting problems in Dallas County. The race revived a long-shot dream, as Democrats have not won a Texas Senate race since 1988. Talarico, 36, is a Presbyterian seminarian who frames politics as “top vs. bottom.” He has criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) while courting broad turnout. Now he heads into November as Texas Democrats’ newest test of faith.

⚖️ Senate backs Trump, sinking an early bid to halt the Iran war. Senate Republicans voted down Senator Tim Kaine’s war powers resolution on March 4th. The measure failed 53 to 47. Kaine said Congress cannot be bypassed on war. Republican Senator Rand Paul joined Democrats in voting yes. Democratic Senator John Fetterman sided with Republicans and voted no. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer warned of another forever war. Republican leader Senator John Barrasso argued Democrats were just obstructing. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the conflict could extend eight weeks. General Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said troops remain in harm’s way. The vote puts lawmakers on record while a House showdown looms next.

💻 Apple drops 2 gadgets at $599, betting on budget fatigue. Apple ($AAPL) chief executive officer Tim Cook called it a “big week” on March 4th in New York. The headline is a $599 iPhone 17e aimed at cost-conscious buyers. It uses the same A19 chip as the base iPhone 17. Storage doubles to 256GB compared with the prior 16e’s 128GB. The camera jumps to 48 megapixels, and a C1X modem promises faster cellular speeds. Apple also brought back MagSafe with Qi2 wireless charging support. The second $599 play is the 13-inch MacBook Neo. It runs an A18 Pro chip, ships with 8GB of memory, and includes two USB-C ports. Apple priced a 512GB Neo at $699, and offered a $100 educator discount on preorders.

📈 Stocks rebound as oil cools and economic data steadies nerves. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) rose 0.8% on March 4th. It closed up 52.87 points at 6,869.50. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 238.14 to 48,739.41. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3% to 22,807.48. Brent crude settled at $81.40 after briefly topping $84. Benchmark American crude edged to $74.66. Amazon ($AMZN) gained 3.9% and Nvidia ($NVDA) rose 1.7%, lifting big tech. In South Korea, the Kospi plunged 12.1%, showing the global whiplash. The Federal Reserve (Fed) now faces higher inflation risk from energy, even as services growth accelerated. Wall Street is relearning its old rule: wars fade fast until oil refuses.

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That’s all for today!

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