Market Highlights
Market highlights
2026-04-30
Wall Street traders drove bonds lower and stocks wavered as a divided Federal Reserve held
rates steady and signaled the war in Iran is clouding the economic outlook. Brent crude hit the
highest since 2022.
With no end in sight to the Middle East conflict, money markets all but abandoned wagers on
a rate cut this year and began pricing in the chances of a hike in 2027. Treasury 10-year yields
hit a one-month high. Most shares in the S&P 500 fell. In late hours, Meta Platforms Inc. slid
after boosting its spending outlook. Microsoft Corp.’s cloud growth failed to ease investors’
artificial-intelligence concerns. Alphabet Inc. climbed on solid sales.
Oil surged to the highest level in almost four years amid growing pessimism about efforts to
end the Middle East conflict. Stocks swung to losses after earlier getting a boost from
megacap tech earnings.
2025-05-12
Wall Street ended the week on a more cautious note, with stocks and bonds fluctuatingas the
world’s two largest economies get ready to kickstart their trade negotiations.
Investors refrained from making riskier bets on speculation that while discussions between
Chinese and American officials could represent a diplomatic icebreaker, a comprehensive
commitment would only come to fruition after several rounds of talks. Following a rapid $6 trillion
surge in the S&P 500 from the brink of a bear market, action has been more muted in recent days.
The gauge closed little changed on Friday.
2025-05-09
Wall Street’s risk-on mood prevailed on Thursday, with stocks up and bonds down as Donald Trump
announced a trade deal with the UK while noting that if China talks go well, tariffs could be
lowered. Equities also gained after the president said investors should buy shares now.
For a market hoping for an easing of tensions between the US and its top commercial partners,
that was enough to boost the S&P 500 - with the gauge briefly topping its April 2 high before the
advance subsided. While most major industries rose, gains were led by economically-sensitive
sectors. Bitcoin surpassed $100,000. As the safety bid ebbed, gold and haven currencies fell.
Treasury yields surged as traders pared bets on interest rate cuts
2025-05-08
Assurances by Jerome Powell that the economy remains sound and the Federal Reserve won’t be
forced into rash action by Donald Trump’s trade war bolstered markets, lifting stocks, bonds and
the dollar. Equities were also aided by prospects for looser rules on chip exports.
While warning that risks are growing of higher inflation and slowing growth, Powell calmed
investors after the Federal Open Market Committee left interest rates unchanged. The S&P 500
halted a two-day slide, led by chipmakers as Bloomberg News reported that the Trump
administration plans to rescind Biden-era curbs for the industry. Swap traders kept betting on at
least three Fed reductions in the remainder of 2025.
2025-05-07
Wall Street’s risk-off mode prevailed in the run-up to the Federal Reserve decision, with stocks
falling and bonds rising as President Donald Trump’s tariff remarks failed to ease worries that his
trade war will cause economic damage.
After almost wiping out losses, the S&P 500 closed with a drop of nearly 1%. Trump said he would
prescribe tariff levels and concessions for partners looking to avoid higher duties, appearing to
move away from the idea that he would engage in back-and-forth negotiations. Trade jitters
spurred gains in Treasuries, which also climbed after a solid $42 billion sale of 10-year bonds.
2025-05-06
A historic stock-market run came to a halt as President Donald Trump’s latest tariff remarks
provided little relief to investors bracing for the impacts of his trade war on the economy and
corporate earnings.
Despite data showing a pick-up in growth at US service providers, the S&P 500 halted its longest
rally in about 20 years. While Trump suggested some trade deals could come as soon as this week,
there was no indication of an imminent accord with China. In late hours, Ford Motor Co. pulled its
financialguidance and said auto tariffs will take a toll on profit. Palantir Technologies Inc. sales
forecast fell short of Wall Street’s high hopes.
2025-05-05
Wall Street’s risk-on brigade pushed the S&P 500 to its longest winning streak in two decades, with
scars from April’s tariff shock healing on fresh signs of US-China diplomacy.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 rose more than 1% each on Friday, notching a second straight
week of gains. A dollar index dropped. Treasuries slid, with the policy-sensitive two-year yield
jumping over 10 basis points to 3.83%. Oil slipped as OPEC+ discussed making another major
production increase. With demand for havens fading, gold suffered a second consecutive week of
losses.
2025-05-02
Wall Street’s risk appetite raged anew as robust tech earnings upended the ‘sell America’ narrative
that rocked global markets last month in the grip of the tariff shock.
The S&P 500 rose for eight straight days, its longest winning streak since August. The Nasdaq 100
finished1.1% higher. Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc. jumped on upbeat results, boosting
both the equities gauges. A report of the US weighing a potential easing of restrictions on Nvidia
Corp.’s sales to the United Arab Emirates pushed
shares higher.
2025-05-01
The great Wall Street rebound resumed in earnest as stocks staged a late-day comeback even as
fears grow that the US economy will buckle under the weight of Donald Trump’s trade war.
A month of historic volatility ended on that same note, with the S&P 500 wiping out a 2% slide for
the firsttime since 2022. Hopes that trade talks will prove constructive firmedup sentiment, after a
report that the US has been proactively reaching out to China through various channels. At the
same time, a cohort of investors is betting the Federal Reserve will administer its policy medicine
to forestall a recession.
2025-04-30
Wall Street traders are cautiously adding fuel to the stock rebound, in a high-stakes bet that
Corporate America will weather slowing economic growth and tariff-fueled disruptions to earnings.
Investors looked past weak consumer confidence and labor data to send the S&P 500 up 0.6%. The
gauge notched its best six-day run since March 2022, rising about 8% in the span. The Nasdaq 100
is close to erasing all of its losses since April 2, when President Donald Trump announced his trade
offensive. Treasuries extended their April gains, with 10-year yields dropping below 4.2%. The dollar
rose against most major currencies.
2025-04-29
A late-day wave of dip buying erased losses in stocks, with Wall Street investors awaiting a slew of
corporate earnings and economic data for insights on the impacts of President Donald Trump’s
tariff war.
As the S&P 500 closed higher for fiveconsecutive sessions, the American equity benchmark posted
its longest winning streak since November. Monday marked the fifthtime in the past month the
index fully wiped out an intraday gain or drop of 1% or more. The number of reversals already
matches the total seen in the entire year of 2024. Boeing Co. and International Business Machines
Corp. led gains in blue chips. Nvidia Corp. sank on news Huawei Technologies Co. is set to test a
new AI chip. Megacaps Microsoft Corp., Apple Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. will
report results in coming days. Treasuries rose. The dollar fell.
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