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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.

US markets ended higher on Friday, capping off a beautiful week. The S&P 500 climbed 2.60% over those five days and the Nasdaq rose 2.87%. It's great that we've recovered so quickly, but investors remain anxious because Donald Trump is entirely unpredictable, and many of his ideas are bad for business confidence.

Late on Friday, Moody's downgraded US sovereign debt from its triple-A rating. The other two ratings agencies, Standard & Poor's and Fitch, had already taken this step years ago. One bond analyst said this was "a belated catch-up move without real implications of the US's creditworthiness."

In company news, CoreWeave jumped 22% to a record high after Nvidia disclosed a larger-than-expected stake in the cloud computing firm. Elsewhere, Apple and Epic Games are back in the ring, this time debating whether Apple is unfairly blocking Fortnite's return to iPhones. This is just the latest skirmish in their multi-year feud, which centres on Apple's tight grip over the App Store and the revenue it collects from in-app purchases.

On Friday, the JSE All-share closed up 0.30%, the S&P 500 rose 0.70%, and the Nasdaq was 0.52% higher.

US markets were patchy yesterday, with the S&P 500 ending up and the Nasdaq down. Retail bellwether Walmart said price hikes were coming, which rattled investors who were hoping that all tariff-related problems might just go away. It seems there will be a price to be paid for slapping trade taxes on goods from China.

In company news, Meta Platforms slipped 2.4% after reports emerged that they are delaying the rollout of a new flagship AI model. In late trading, Applied Materials shed 5.6% on a lukewarm forecast. Lastly, UnitedHealth extended its losing streak to eight sessions, down another 11% after news that the Justice Department is probing the company for potential criminal Medicare fraud. Urgh.

Here's the summary: the JSE All-share closed 0.15% down, the S&P 500 rose 0.41%, and the Nasdaq was 0.18% lower.

US markets ended in the green yesterday, continuing an impressive run this week. The S&P 500 has now rallied about 18% from its lowest closing level this year, and is now in the green for the year. Given all the drama we've been through, that's a remarkable outcome.

In company news, chipmakers were standouts once again. Nvidia rose 4.2% and AMD jumped 4.7%, as President Trump's tour of the Middle East sparked a wave of AI-related agreements involving American tech firms. The US also scrapped a Biden-era rule that restricted the export of certain AI technologies. Elsewhere, online trading firm eToro surged 29% on its first day after it's upsized IPO.

Izolo, the JSE All-share closed down 0.18%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.10%, and the Nasdaq was 0.72% higher. Thank you very much.

US markets ended higher yesterday, with major indices wiping out their 2025 losses. Trade tensions are easing, and sentiment was further boosted by cooler-than-expected inflation data. The consumer price index (CPI) rose just 2.3% year-on-year in April, the slowest pace since early 2021.

In company news, US chip stocks rallied after Nvidia and AMD announced they'll supply semiconductors for a $10 billion AI data center project in Saudi Arabia. Elsewhere, UnitedHealth shocked investors by replacing its CEO and pulling its earnings guidance, a move that's raised eyebrows over how a former Wall Street darling got its cost forecasts so wrong. Meanwhile, Google has just dropped its biggest Android update in years, stealing a bit of the spotlight ahead of Apple's upcoming software reveal.

In summary, the JSE All-share closed up 0.51%, the S&P 500 rose 0.72%, and the Nasdaq was 1.61% higher. Super stuff.

Markets roared higher yesterday after the US and China struck a deal to scale down the Trump-induced tariff war. The tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 4.3%, closing more than 20% above its April low, the technical definition of a bull market. We stayed long and strong through this drama, so we are feeling vindicated. Let's see how long it takes before we are back at all-time market highs.

In company news, reports surfaced that Apple might hike iPhone prices and its stock rallied 6.3% on the day. Companies with complicated multi-country operations rallied hard - Amazon jumped 8.1%, Nike sprinted 7.3% higher, and Tesla revved up 6.8%. Metals and mining stocks fell as gold declined: AngloGold Ashanti dropped 10.3% and Gold Fields Limited sank 10.5%. Sorry chaps.

At the close, the JSE All-share closed up 0.34%, the S&P 500 screamed 3.26% higher, and the Nasdaq exploded by 4.35%. Wow, what a day!

US markets ended the week with barely a pulse, taking a breather after a stretch of volatility tied to trade policy jitters. Since the mid-February tariff mess began, investors have been on edge, but a wishy-washy deal with the UK, and some progress on talks with the Chinese seem to have steadied nerves. The S&P 500 finished marginally lower on Friday, and the Nasdaq ended flat.

In company news, Insulet surged 20% on Friday, a day after the insulin pump maker reported stronger-than-anticipated quarterly results. Elsewhere, digital marketing company Trade Desk soared 18.6% thanks to an impressive first quarter. Tesla and First Solar each climbed about 5%, showing there is still appetite for growth stories, especially those tied to the clean energy transition.

In summary, the JSE All-share closed up 1.07%, the S&P 500 fell just 0.07%, and the Nasdaq was unchanged. Not too bad.

A risk-on mood returned to Wall Street yesterday, with US stocks gaining ground as President Trump pitched his trade deal with the UK as a first step in reshaping the global economic order. That was enough to lift the S&P 500, which briefly broke above its 2 April high before momentum cooled. Economically sensitive sectors led the advance, reflecting growing optimism around trade and growth.

In company news, Shopify slipped 0.5% after posting mixed first-quarter results and a softer profit outlook for the current quarter. Elsewhere, Toyota warned that tariffs could cost them $1.2 billion in just two months, while Ford, already in retreat after pulling their guidance, responded by hiking prices on three of its top models.

In short, the JSE All-share closed down 0.66%, the S&P 500 rose 0.58%, and the Nasdaq was 1.07% higher.

US markets ended higher yesterday, snapping a short losing streak. Fed Chair Jerome Powell reassured investors that the economy remains solid and the central bank won't be rushed into action despite trade tensions. Chipmakers led the gains on news that the Trump administration plans to roll back some Biden-era restrictions on the sector, giving the S&P 500 a lift after two days of declines.

In company news, Uber slipped 2.6% after missing quarterly revenue estimates, with growth in its core ride-hailing business slowing to the weakest pace since the pandemic. Elsewhere, Walt Disney jumped 11% after delivering a bullish outlook that cheered investors. In comparison, Alphabet tumbled 7.5% following Apple's announcement that they are actively looking at redesigning its Safari browser to spotlight AI-driven search. This potential shift could dent Google's dominance on Apple devices.

Here's the lowdown, the JSE All-share closed down 0.58%, the S&P 500 rose 0.43%, and the Nasdaq was 0.27% higher.

US markets dipped for a second straight day, with gold hitting fresh highs as traders played it safe. A quirky moment came when Canada's PM Mark Carney met President Trump at the White House and had to clarify his country wasn't up for sale after a light-hearted Trump comment, but the bigger worry remained the lack of real progress on trade deals. Markets had already opened lower, and despite the meeting's cordial tone, jitters around tariffs and trade uncertainty kept stocks in the red.

In company news, Deliveroo shares climbed 2% after DoorDash made a $3.86 billion takeover bid, sparking investor optimism around consolidation in the food delivery space. Elsewhere, AMD rose 1.7% in late trade after beating Wall Street's earnings expectations, even as it flagged a $1.5 billion revenue hit from US restrictions on chip exports to China.

At the close, the JSE All-share closed down 0.04%, the S&P 500 fell 0.77%, and the Nasdaq was 0.87% lower.

US stocks slipped on Monday, ending the S&P 500's longest winning streak in over 20 years, as uncertainty over trade policy put a dampener on sentiment. Ten of the index's 11 sectors closed in the red. Still, there was a silver lining: the ISM services PMI came in better than expected, rising to 51.6 in April from 50.8 in March, a sign that parts of the US economy are still ticking along nicely.

In company news, Palantir Technologies took a 9.3% knock in late trading after its results fell short of high investor hopes. ON Semiconductor also dropped 8.35%, not because it missed, but because its outlook didn't excite, despite a solid first-quarter beat. Meanwhile, Berkshire Hathaway ended the day down 5.12% following Warren Buffett's announcement that he plans to step down at year-end.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share closed down 0.29%, the S&P 500 fell 0.64%, and the Nasdaq was 0.74% lower.

US markets ended higher on Friday, with a solid jobs report boosting confidence in the economy's resilience. The S&P 500 notched a nine-day winning streak, the longest since 2004, rising about 10% from its post-tariff slump. After clawing back much of last month's losses, the index is now down just 3.3% year-to-date.

In company news, Amazon delivered a solid first quarter, but its softer outlook for operating profit weighed on sentiment, leaving the stock down slightly. Apple fared worse, sliding 3.7% after analyst downgrades highlighted renewed worries over tariffs. The biggest news came from Warren Buffett, who said he would step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway by the end of the year and hand over the reins to Greg Abel.

On Friday, the JSE All-share closed up 0.82%, the S&P 500 rose 1.47%, and the Nasdaq was 1.51% higher.