Weather Company CEO Rohit Agarwal told me his move almost two years ago to helm the leading forecast company, coming from music streaming company SoundCloud, felt like going from one company that tapped into peoples’ emotions to another. While music habits are often driven by mood and emotion, a weather report also taps into mood—but Agarwal said the way it is presented is often boring. Weather needs to be able to get into a consumer’s mood, their direct feelings, their needs and plans for the day, he said, whether their day involves piloting a plane, working on a construction site or just walking a dog.

“That’s part of the draw for someone like me,” he said.

I talked to Agarwal about the way he acts on his outsider’s perspective on using creativity, mood and emotion—paired with science—to bring an accurate weather forecast to all sorts of customers. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter.

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The war with Iran was back for a while, bringing a wider Middle East conflict and higher gas prices with it. Last week, President Donald Trump told media outlets he was close to launching a “massive attack” against Iran—claiming it would be the biggest yet since the war began—and oil prices neared $100 a barrel as Iran extended its blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has since backed away from the attacks he spoke about—reportedly after top officials advised against it and to continue negotiations with Middle Eastern countries about reopening critical waterways.

Oil prices have settled down, but the national average is still $4.11 per gallon, according to AAA. Markets opened on a high note on Monday as oil prices dropped. But the war’s wider impact on the economy will get a critical look this week. The Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee will have its next chance to discuss monetary policy and baseline interest rates tomorrow and Wednesday. Many believe an interest rate hike is likely this year. As of Monday morning, the odds of a rate hike this week sat at nearly 38%, according to CME FedWatch.

Uncertainty and unpredictability have been just about the only two constants in business in the recent past. And while Accenture’s newest Pulse of Change report shows that executives are expecting the bad economic news to continue, with at least seven in 10 having expectations of a reduction of global economic growth or a surge in inflation, they are extremely optimistic about one thing: AI. While only 23% of business leaders said they are receiving widespread and sustained value from AI initiatives organizationwide,........

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