Market Highlights

Stocks fell as renewed U.S. auto tariffs reignited trade war fears, overshadowing stronger-than-expected GDP data and pushing gold to a record high on safe-haven demand. Global investors trimmed risk exposure ahead of Trump’s upcoming tariff announcement, while inflation concerns deepened with short-term Treasuries outperforming and Tokyo inflation accelerating, boosting the yen.

Wall Street’s calm streak ended as big tech stocks dragged major indexes lower, with renewed fears of a trade war and inflation dampening investor sentiment. Trump’s move to impose a 25% tariff on auto imports rattled global markets, pushing down automakers and European futures, while investors grew increasingly cautious amid uncertain U.S. trade policy and a patient Fed stance.

A broad tech rally lifted U.S. stocks on Tuesday, though gains eased as investors weighed economic risks, sliding consumer confidence, and the threat of a trade war, while bond yields fell and oil declined on ceasefire news. Asian markets were muted Wednesday amid ongoing uncertainty over U.S. tariffs, even as copper hit a record and the MSCI Asia Pacific Index edged up 0.2%.

U.S. stocks surged in one of their strongest sessions this year, led by a 2.2% jump in the Nasdaq 100, as markets welcomed signs that upcoming U.S. tariffs may be narrower than feared, boosting tech megacaps like Tesla and Nvidia. Meanwhile, Chinese equities lagged amid renewed concerns over a tech bubble and choppy trading, while global markets remained cautious despite relief from Trump's more measured trade stance.

A late-session tech rally helped U.S. stocks erase earlier losses, with the S&P 500 recovering from a 1% drop amid record trading volume driven by massive options expirations. Optimism grew on signs that Trump’s upcoming tariffs may be more targeted than feared, lifting U.S. and European futures, though global sentiment remains fragile amid warnings of broader economic fallout.

Market volatility resurfaced as trade war concerns overshadowed resilient U.S. housing and jobs data, with equities reversing gains ahead of Friday’s $4.5 trillion triple witching options expiry. Asian stocks stumbled following weak U.S. corporate earnings and lingering global uncertainty, while futures in Europe and the U.S. pointed to a cautious open.

Stocks rallied and bond yields fell after Jerome Powell reassured markets that the Fed sees no urgent need for action despite trade tensions, describing the inflation impact of tariffs as likely "transitory." The dovish tone fueled a global rebound, lifting Asian equities and Nasdaq futures, while the dollar slipped and copper surged past $10,000 amid tariff concerns.

Heavy selling resumed in Wall Street’s largest technology companies, with American shares snapping a two-day rebound amid signs investors are paring exposure in US risk assets. European stocks gained. One day before a Federal Reserve decision that will be parsed for an assessment on how President Donald Trump’s trade policies are affecting the economy, US equities slid, with megacaps hitting the lowest since September. Nvidia Corp. sank 3.4% despite laying out plans to expand its AI reign with robots and desktop systems. Data showing hot import prices didn’t help market sentiment either. Treasuries edged up after a solid $13 billion sale of 20-year bonds. Gold climbed to a fresh record

US stocks climbed for a second day, extending the recovery from a sharp drop that reached 10% last week, as industrial and energy shares rallied on economic data that while missing forecasts was able to quell concern about an imminent recession. More than 90% of the companies in the S&P 500 rose, overshadowing a slide in most megacaps. An equal-weighted version of the benchmark — one that gives Target Corp. as much clout as Apple Inc. — climbed 1.3%. While the latest economic data did little to alter traders’ bets on the Federal Reserve outlook, mixed retail sales brought some relief that consumer spending is not collapsing. As the chatter around tariffs subsided, equities continued to push away from technically oversold levels

Global banks appear to be giving top clients private information to win corporate-bond trading business, according to a new study showing the $56 billion-a-day market is stacked in favor of the most active investors with the broadest dealer networks. The study examined the profitability of trades by insurance companies, which are whales in the credit world. It found that those with the best access to Wall Street’s bond-trading desks often had better outcomes than other investors ahead of market-moving events, such as mergers and acquisitions and rating downgrades