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US markets wrapped up the week on a strong note after a better-than-expected jobs report. The economy added 139 000 jobs last month, slower than before, but enough to ease fears of an imminent recession.

For the week, the S&P 500 gained 1.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite led the pack with a 2.2% jump. The markets are now up five out of the past seven weeks.

In company news, online broker Robinhood Markets notched its sixth straight day of gains as traders bet it might soon join the S&P 500. Elsewhere, Boeing is back in business with China. The aerospace giant resumed deliveries of commercial jets to the country for the first time since April.

In summary, the JSE All-share closed down 0.05%, but the S&P 500 rose 1.03%, and the Nasdaq was 1.20% higher. Very nice!

US markets ended lower yesterday after an online catfight broke out between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. US equities had rallied earlier in the day thanks mostly to a 90-minute call between Trump and Xi, which resulted in a plan to renew US-China trade talks, but those gains evaporated. We certainly live in interesting times.

In company news, Circle Internet Group surged after pulling off a successful IPO, raising nearly $1.1 billion. Elsewhere, Lululemon shares dropped a hefty 22.4% after the athleisure brand trimmed its full-year profit outlook and guided for softer sales this quarter.

In summary, the JSE All-share closed up 0.80%, but the S&P 500 fell 0.53%, and the Nasdaq gave up 0.83%.

Yesterday was uneventful on Wall Street. Some soft economic data gave weight to the idea that the Fed could deliver at least two rate cuts this year. The S&P 500 closed flat while the Nasdaq rose, but defensives like health care and communications moved quietly higher.

In company news, Wells Fargo just got out of the Fed's naughty corner, the asset cap that's been limiting its growth since 2018 has finally been lifted. Meanwhile, CrowdStrike is in the spotlight after US officials asked for details on how it books some of its customer deals. The cybersecurity firm says it is cooperating fully. Shares wobbled a bit but that could also be due to guidance released the day before, more on that below.

In summary, the JSE All-share closed up 0.81%, the S&P 500 rose a tiny 0.01%, and the Nasdaq was 0.32% higher.

US markets kept the momentum going yesterday, with the Nasdaq turning positive for the year. Tech and energy sectors topped the S&P 500's leaderboard. Broadcom rallied 3.3% to close at a record high. Nvidia also gained 2.8% and is back on top as the world's most valuable company.

In company news, discount retailer Dollar General surged 16% after raising its outlook. Somehow they are less affected by tariffs. Bumble tumbled 6.5% on a report that the dating app is losing market share to Hinge. That might be useful information to some of you?

In short, the JSE All-share closed down 0.29%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.58%, and the Nasdaq cruised 0.81% higher. Lovely!

US markets ended in the green yesterday, brushing off fresh trade jitters between Washington and Beijing. The S&P 500 tiptoed higher as June kicked off, typically a slower month for gains. Chipmakers had a good day, with Nvidia leading a 1.5% plus rally in the sector. Netflix and CrowdStrike traded at new all-time highs.

In company news, Disney is swinging the axe again, cutting several hundred jobs across its film and TV divisions. Elsewhere, Moderna shares rose after it secured US approval for a new Covid vaccine, though access is being narrowed thanks to RFK Jr. Finally, Meta rose 3.6% on a report in the Wall Street Journal that the company is going all-in on AI created advertisements.

At the close, the JSE All-share was 0.88% higher, the S&P 500 rose 0.41%, and the Nasdaq advanced by another 0.67%. Kudos to the bulls.

Stocks went sideways on Friday, but US markets just had their best month since late 2023. The S&P 500 climbed over 6% in May, and is now just 4% shy of its record high. Tech stocks led the charge, with the Nasdaq Composite 9.6% higher, driven by cooler inflation data and fading fears of harsh Trump-era tariffs.

In company news late last week, Palantir popped 7.7% after reports that its government footprint is expanding under the Trump administration. Elsewhere, Ulta Beauty gained nearly 12% as strong first-quarter results showed consumers are still splurging on skincare and cosmetics, even with economic clouds on the horizon.

On Friday, the JSE All-share closed down 0.42%, the S&P 500 fell 0.01%, and the Nasdaq was 0.32% lower. No worries.

US markets ended in the green last night, thanks in part to Nvidia's strong earnings report, which gave the Nasdaq a jolt. Earlier in the day, investors cheered news that a federal trade court had struck down Trump's broad tariff regime, only for the celebrations to fizzle out when an appeals court paused that ruling. It's all very exciting for lawyers, but confusing for investors, and a nightmare for import agents and logistics companies.

In company news, Meta Platforms is teaming up with defense-tech startup Anduril Industries to build AI-powered gear for the US military, including a next-gen helmet packed with virtual and augmented reality features. Elsewhere, HP is feeling the pinch as it missed on profits and cut its annual earnings forecast. The stock fell 8.3%.

In summary, the JSE All-share closed up 0.91%, the S&P 500 rose 0.40%, and the Nasdaq ended 0.39% higher. A decent performance.

US markets were muted yesterday and closed slightly lower, but there was plenty of excitement after hours. A federal trade court ruled that President Trump overstepped his authority by slapping tariffs on nearly every country, and scrapped his global levies that had fuelled a trade war. The White House immediately appealed the ruling, but now they are on the back foot. Futures rose.

In company news, Nvidia shares popped up 4.9% in post-market trade thanks to market-beating numbers. The AI investment theme is alive and well, and other tech titans have also risen. Elsewhere, ski-resort operator Vail Resorts soared 8.8% on the news that it's bringing back former CEO Rob Katz.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share closed up 0.11%, the S&P 500 fell 0.56%, and the Nasdaq was 0.51% lower. Today looks more promising.

US markets started the shortened week on a strong note, regaining all the ground lost on Friday. The S&P 500 jumped 2%, boosted by a sharp rebound in consumer confidence and fresh momentum in US-EU trade talks. Nvidia rose by 3.1% ahead of its much-anticipated earnings release tonight.

In company news, Salesforce is back at the M&A table, snapping up data management firm Informatica for $8 billion. Elsewhere, AMD got a vote of confidence from HSBC, upgraded to "hold" from "reduce," thanks to renewed optimism following its AI-focused deal with Saudi Arabia. Lastly, Rocket Pharmaceuticals dropped 62.8% after a patient participating in a gene therapy trial died over the weekend. As we say here in South Africa, shame.

At the close, the JSE All-share rose by just 0.04%, but the S&P 500 leapt 2.05% higher, and the Nasdaq bolted on 2.47%. Lekker!

Wall Street was offline for Memorial Day, but European markets enjoyed a positive session yesterday. The Stoxx Europe 600 shook off Friday's slump after Donald Trump hit pause on his earlier threat to slap 50% tariffs on trade with the EU. True to form, he kept markets guessing, rattling sabres one day, pulling back the next.

In company news, Thyssenkrupp surged over 8% on news that its CEO is plotting a shake-up to transform the industrial giant into a holding company, paving the way for streamlined operations and more divestments. Volvo Cars added nearly 5% after announcing plans to trim 7% of its global workforce.

Izolo in Mzansi, the JSE All-share closed up 0.21%. That's it.

Wall Street flinched on Friday, going backwards after Donald Trump revived his tariff threats, this time taking aim at the European Union. The US Dollar buckled, reaching its weakest level since December 2023. Over the weekend he changed his mind, delaying a 50% tariff until July 9, after having a "very nice call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

In company news, Apple dropped 3% on Friday after Trump repeated the mad idea that iPhones must be made in America. Elsewhere, Oracle is gearing up to spend $40 billion on Nvidia chips to support OpenAI's massive new data centre in Texas. Finally, Salesforce is kicking the tyres on Informatica again, reviving takeover talks that fizzled out last year.

On Friday, the JSE All-share closed up 0.42%, but the S&P 500 fell 0.67%, and the Nasdaq was 1.00% lower. Yuk.

US markets were iffy yesterday. The S&P 500 logged a third straight daily loss, but the Nasdaq managed to sneak higher. Institutional investors might be choosing to buy 10-year US Government treasury bonds instead, because their yield rose back above 4.5%. This came after a Republican tax and spending bill passed the House, raising fears of bigger US deficits and lower creditworthiness in the years ahead.

Bitcoin just reached a new intraday high of $111 986.44. Make of that what you will.

In company news, Bill Ackman's Pershing Square has taken a stake in Amazon, calling it a "fantastic franchise" and saying the price was just too good to ignore. Elsewhere, Advance Auto Parts surged 57% after quarterly sales weren't as bad as feared, proof that in this market, "less bad" is sometimes good enough.

In short, the JSE All-share closed down 0.28%, the S&P 500 fell 0.04%, and the Nasdaq was 0.28% higher. Let's see how we go today.

US markets took a hit yesterday as a bloated budget was proposed in Congress, and a lacklustre Treasury bond auction spooked the debt markets. Equities were also rattled by a sloppy earnings report from Target, which warned of fading consumer confidence and tariff-related price hikes.

In company news, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang slammed US chip export restrictions to China, calling them a strategic blunder that could cost American firms their lead as Huawei and others gain ground. Elsewhere, OpenAI is going physical, snapping up the AI hardware startup co-founded by Apple design legend Jony Ive in a $6.5 billion all-stock deal. It's a clear sign that the AI arms race is heating up on both the policy and product fronts.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share closed up 0.68%, but the S&P 500 fell 1.61%, and the Nasdaq sagged by 1.41%. So it goes.

US markets slowed slightly on Tuesday, in the absence of any major catalysts. We aren't complaining though, after a steamy rally that has lifted the S&P 500 nearly 20% off its April lows. Alphabet and Amazon each slipped over 1% by the close, but Tesla rose after Elon Musk pledged to steer the EV maker for at least another five years.

In company news, Google is rolling out "AI mode" in search for all US users. Not to be outdone, Apple is opening the doors for third-party developers to tap into its AI models, to speed up app innovation. Lastly, Home Depot dipped 0.6% after missing profit expectations for the quarter. The DIY giant says it will simply drop items from its shelves that are badly affected by high import tariffs. That's one way of dealing with the problem.

In short, the JSE All-share closed up 0.29%, but the S&P 500 fell 0.39%, and the Nasdaq was 0.38% lower. Let's try again today.

US markets finished slightly higher yesterday, brushing off a Moody's downgrade. What, me worry? After dipping more than 1% in the morning, the S&P 500 clawed its way back to close up for a sixth straight session. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Walmart execs to bully them into "eating the tariffs". This is embarrassing. Threats of price controls are for Marxists.

In company news, Novavax surged 15% after US regulators finally granted full approval for its Covid vaccine. Hello, it's 2025. Rather late than never? Elsewhere, Microsoft is adding models from Elon Musk's xAI startup to its Azure AI marketplace, a sign that the tech giant is keeping its options open beyond OpenAI.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share closed down 0.14%, the S&P 500 rose 0.09%, and the Nasdaq was a tiny 0.02% higher. Squeaky, but clean.