WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump told CNBC he will “remember” companies that do not seek refunds for tariffs the Supreme Court struck down, a remark that appeared to pressure large U.S. importers amid the launch of a federal refund portal. U.S. Customs and Border Protection on April 20 opened the CAPE electronic system to process claims after a federal judge ordered refunds for duties collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The dispute involves roughly hundreds of billions of dollars in duties; CBP has identified about $127 billion in qualifying duties while other figures cited reach about $166 billion. Some major firms, including Apple, Amazon, Target and Walmart, had not immediately filed claims; others such as Costco and FedEx have sued to preserve refund rights. Judge Richard Eaton issued a temporary stay and asked for a progress report by April 28 and set a June 7 deadline for an appeal that could delay payments. CBP said valid refunds would be issued about 60-90 days after claim acceptance; the portal experienced some technical issues on launch.

April 21, 2026 — GE Aerospace reported a stronger-than-expected start to 2026 while cautioning about near‑term risks from elevated oil prices and regional fuel supply constraints. The engine maker posted adjusted first‑quarter EPS of $1.86 (GAAP EPS $1.83) and GAAP revenue of $12.39 billion, with adjusted revenue about $11.61 billion. Total orders surged 87% to $23.0 billion and commercial services backlog topped roughly $170 billion. Management reaffirmed full‑year adjusted EPS guidance of $7.10‑$7.40 and free cash flow guidance of $8.0‑$8.4 billion, saying results are trending toward the high end of ranges. GE said it now assumes Brent crude stays elevated through Q3 and flagged a reduced industry departures outlook — flat to low‑single‑digit growth — driven by sharper declines in the Middle East. The company highlighted strong aftermarket demand, spare‑parts shortages and a healthy shop‑visit pipeline, and said its GE9X program schedule remains unchanged despite earlier durability issues.

Tesla Inc is heading into its April 21, 2026 first‑quarter earnings report under heightened scrutiny as investors weigh slowing auto metrics against the company’s AI ambitions. Wall Street consensus expects roughly $22.3 billion in revenue and $0.36 EPS; deliveries in Q1 came in at about 358,023 units versus a 365,000 estimate. Analysts forecast automotive gross margins near 16% and warn free cash flow could be negative as capital expenditures for AI, Terafab and other projects may top $20 billion in 2026. The stock has fallen about 12–13% year‑to‑date and trades at a lofty trailing P/E near 360x with a market cap around $1.47 trillion; insiders have sold roughly $20.9 million of shares this quarter. Market watchers are focused on management commentary about robotaxis, Full Self‑Driving (FSD) monetisation and spending on chips and Optimus. Separately, CEO Elon Musk expanded his SpaceX stake with a reported $1.4 billion employee share purchase as SpaceX prepares private briefings ahead of a possible late‑June IPO, and Musk’s refusal of a French summons over alleged algorithm manipulation has added regulatory noise after a modest stock dip.

Members of Canada’s House of Commons voted 164-153 on April 21, 2026 to approve Annette Ryan as the country’s next Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), with Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs opposing the appointment. Ryan, a longtime public servant and currently deputy director at the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FinTRAC), was named by cabinet last month to lead the independent Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Liberal and NDP MPs, and Green Party MP Elizabeth May, supported the nomination. Opponents had urged the government to appoint Jason Jacques, who served as interim PBO until early March; Conservatives said they preferred Jacques because of his outspoken critiques of federal spending. The PBO’s leadership vacancy had prevented the office from tabling reports in Parliament. Ryan told MPs she will provide non-partisan fiscal analysis, pledged to make clear the implications of spending choices, and said she will serve a single seven-year term despite the legal allowance for two terms. Jacques remains with the office as a senior official.

Associated British Foods (ABF) announced on April 21, 2026, that it will spin off its Primark fashion chain from its food operations in a demerger expected to complete by the end of 2027. The move will create two separately listed London companies—Primark as a standalone retailer and a food-focused group that will retain the Associated British Foods name. Primark, headquartered in Dublin, operates 486 stores in 19 markets with about £9.5 billion in annual revenue; ABF’s food, sugar and ingredients operations generate roughly £9.8 billion. Management said shareholders will receive shares in both entities, with Wittington Investments (the Weston family vehicle) remaining the majority holder in both. ABF flagged one-off separation and transaction costs of about £75 million and estimated lost synergies below £45 million. The group reported weaker first-half results—group revenue down around 2% and adjusted operating profit of £691 million—and its shares fell on the announcement. Company executives and analysts cited ongoing risks from the Middle East conflict, pressure in European retail, intensifying competition from fast-fashion online rivals, and headwinds in the sugar and U.S. grocery markets.

Global financial markets turned cautious on April 21–22, 2026 after US President Donald Trump said he would extend a ceasefire with Iran while keeping a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Australian S&P/ASX 200 futures pointed to a drop of about 0.7% as Wall Street indices fell roughly 0.6% (Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq). Brent crude jumped toward $98–99 a barrel, lifting energy stocks even as some local oil and gold miners eased. The Australian dollar slid to about US71.5 cents. Corporate results provided mixed support: UnitedHealth and Quest Diagnostics topped forecasts and lifted sentiment, while Apple fell after Tim Cook announced he will step down as CEO in September in favour of John Ternus; Amazon gained after Anthropic expanded commitments to AWS. Kevin Warsh, President Trump’s Fed nominee, faced tough questioning on Capitol Hill over central bank independence. Commodity prices (gold, iron ore) and bond yields moved as investors weighed the trade-off between higher oil-driven inflation and resilient corporate earnings.