America’s young men are not thriving. Even before the 2024 election—when 49% of men aged 18-29 voted for Donald Trump—books and think pieces sought to unpack the apparent crisis. Mr Trump’s braggadocious appeals to the male id certainly helped him draw support. But young men have practical concerns, too, and, confronted with rising prices, they are now souring on the president.  

And eBay is back. With a tightened focus on “heritage” categories, such as collectibles and car parts, and some inspiration taken from its younger competitors, the internet’s flea market is on the up. Now GameStop, a video-game retailer, is reportedly looking to make a bid.

What to expect in the week ahead:

▸On Monday the great and the glamorous will assemble in New York for the annual Met Gala. The lavish affair—a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute—is one of the biggest nights in the fashion calendar, but the spectacle of style risks being overshadowed by political drama. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s billionaire founder, is sponsoring the event, leading protestors to call for a boycott. Zohran Mamdani, New York’s leftist mayor, is breaking with tradition and giving the whole thing a miss.

▸More than 100 companies in the S&P 500 will report results next week, including Palantir on Monday and Walt Disney, Uber and Novo Nordisk on Wednesday. American stockmarkets are hovering near record highs, seemingly untroubled by the deepening crisis in oil markets.  

▸For the first time in almost two decades, Russia’s Victory Day parade on Saturday will roll across the Red Square in Moscow without any military equipment, reportedly owing to fears that Ukrainian long-range drone strikes could target the Russian kit. The affair will be a much smaller spectacle than last year’s, which drew at least 27 foreign heads of state and a full parade of armour and drones.