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US markets climbed again yesterday, continuing their hot streak to a sixth consecutive day. This after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC he had reached a trade deal with an unnamed country. Despite recent strength, the index is still nursing the biggest loss for the first 100 days of a new presidential term since Richard Nixon in 1973.

In company news, after-hours trading saw Visa edge up 0.6% after posting earnings that topped Wall Street expectations, a reassuring signal for consumer spending and cross-border volumes. Conversely, Super Micro Computer looks to open 15% lower as its preliminary results underwhelmed analysts. Elsewhere, Spotify slipped slightly as it guided for softer profit and subscriber growth in the current quarter, dialling down some of the recent streaming optimism.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 0.65%, the S&P 500 rose 0.58%, and the Nasdaq was 0.55% higher.

US markets were all over the place yesterday, but a late surge of buying pulled the S&P 500 back into the green, stretching its winning streak to five straight sessions. It was another classic case of whiplash, for the fifth time in a month, the index fell more than 1% during the day before snapping back. Boeing (+2.4%) and IBM (+1.6%) led the charge among the blue chips.

In company news, Nvidia slipped 2% after reports surfaced that Huawei is gearing up to test a new AI chip of its own. While the market didn't panic, the drop suggests investors are watching the China tech race closely - and maybe wondering if Huawei's "innovation" came with a little too much inspiration from Nvidia's playbook?

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.19%, but yesterday the S&P 500 rose 0.06%, and the Nasdaq was 0.10% lower.

Wall Street roared higher again yesterday, thanks to easing trade tensions and dovish signals from the Fed. The Nasdaq is up over 5% this week, and the S&P 500 is now down just 5.8% for 2025 after bottoming at minus 15% earlier in April. This market is like a bouncy castle. Just stay long and strong.

In company news, Google rose 4.8% after hours as it beat earnings expectations thanks to strong ad sales. Elsewhere, Chipotle and PepsiCo added some spice of their own, warning that tariffs are starting to nibble at margins and could drive up costs.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was up 0.79%, and the S&P 500 rose 2.03%, and the Nasdaq was 2.74% higher. We love to see it!

US stocks climbed for a second consecutive day as the feeling grows that Trump is scared of the markets. While traders welcomed his more conciliatory comments, it would be naïve to think that we are out of the woods. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also tempered the optimism, saying there has been no formal US offer to cut tariffs on China.

In company news, Boeing jumped 6% after delivering first-quarter results that topped analyst expectations. Elsewhere, Boston Scientific rose 4.2% as it reported a 20.9% year-on-year increase in net sales, highlighting strong demand for its medical devices. Finally, solar tech supplier Enphase had a very rough day, down 15.7% after a big miss on both the top and bottom lines.

At the close, the JSE All-share was down 0.07%, but the S&P 500 rose 1.67%, and the Nasdaq was 2.50% higher. A good outcome, although we did retreat slightly from intraday highs.

US markets came roaring back yesterday, erasing Monday's losses. That's because Donald Trump said he wouldn't fire Jerome Powell, and Scott Bessent said the trade standoff with China was "unsustainable" so a deal would be forthcoming soon. It's a clown show folks, but at least the news was positive this time.

In company news, Tesla jumped 4.6% and gained another 5.4% after hours as Elon Musk said he'd step back "significantly" from his DOGE government role to refocus on the company. Elsewhere, Intel is planning to cut over 20% of its staff, as new CEO Lip-Bu Tan pushes to streamline operations and revive its engineering edge. Intel shares rose 2% pre-market on the news.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 0.48%, the S&P 500 rose 2.51%, and the Nasdaq roared 2.71% higher. So volatile. Remarkable.

US markets were hit hard again yesterday. This time, it was Trump taking aim at Jerome Powell's interest-rate stance. With whispers that the President wants to fire the Fed Chair, markets very clearly told the White House how bad that would be. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 both tumbled over 2%.

In company news, Tesla shares dropped 6.8% ahead of earnings, with Wedbush's Dan Ives calling this a "code red" moment for the EV giant. He urged Elon Musk to shift focus back to Tesla and away from his new government advisory gig, warning that investor patience is running thin. Elsewhere, Chipotle sank 3.5% after announcing plans to open its first restaurant in Mexico. Ay, caramba!

On Thursday, the JSE All-share was down 0.23%, and yesterday the S&P 500 fell 2.36%, and the Nasdaq was 2.55% lower. Come on.

US markets flopped badly last night, after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that tariffs will probably cause inflation, and maybe a recession, and that interest rate cuts can't save the day. This will be Trump's legacy, unless he changes course.

In company news, Nvidia shares tumbled nearly 7% as it became apparent that the company is a pawn in the ongoing US - China trade war. The company flagged a $5.5 billion hit tied to new US restrictions on sales of the dumbed-down H20 processors that were developed for the Chinese market.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 0.20%, but the S&P 500 fell 2.24%, and the Nasdaq was 3.07% lower. Oh no.

US markets ended slightly lower yesterday, giving up early gains after trade talks between the US and EU made "little progress". Earlier in the day China halted Boeing orders from the US. After the market close Nvidia was in the crossfire again as new restrictions on AI chip exports to China were announced.

In company news, Pfizer has abandoned a weight-loss candidate drug after a participant in its study suffered liver injuries. Elsewhere, Bank of America and Citigroup both posted good earnings. BofA climbed 3.6%, while Citi rose 1.8%.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 0.91%, the S&P 500 fell by just 0.17%, and the Nasdaq was only 0.05% lower. That's acceptable.

US stocks opened well yesterday, then shook off a midday wobble to close higher. Sadly, these moves were thanks to tariff-related mumblings by you-know-who. Trump's non-stop announcements, exemptions, promises and admonishments makes it seem that the chaos is the point. He's loving being the centre of attention. It's his world now, and we just live in it.

In company news, Dell surged 4.0%, Apple added 2.2%, and Micron climbed 2.1%, all getting a lift from the US excluding laptops, semiconductors, and other electronics from steep tariffs. Automakers rose, for the same reason. Elsewhere, Goldman Sachs (+2.0%) joined the earnings party, reporting a record quarter for equity trading.

At the end of another exasperating day, the JSE All-share was up 2.67%, the S&P 500 rose 0.79%, and the Nasdaq was 0.64% higher. We shall remain fully invested, and try to look through all this drama.

US markets pulled off a strong finish on Friday, turning around an early dip and ending with a solid rally. The S&P 500 rose 5.7% last week, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ended the week up 7.3%.

Over the weekend it appeared that US tariffs on the import of electronics will be lifted, so we should be in for a strong rally today, but who knows? We won't count our chickens before they hatch.

In company news, earnings season kicked off with JPMorgan up 4.0% after beating expectations on stock-trading revenue in the first quarter. Their CEO Jamie Dimon is probably the most influential businessman in the world, and he sounded cautious about the US economy.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 0.42%, the S&P 500 rose 1.81%, and the Nasdaq was 2.06% higher. Ok then.

After Wednesday's euphoric bounce, markets slipped back yesterday because of the new and laughably high tariffs on US trade with China. Trump seems to think that free trade made Americans poor, when it actually made them rich. To "fix" this "problem" he implemented the one policy idea that almost every economist alive says is bad.

The US imports a lot of basic goods from China: $45 billion in textiles and garments, $19 billion worth of furniture, and a whopping $206 billion worth of electronics and machinery. Doubling the final price of all that is going to be disastrous.

In company news, gold mining stocks climbed. Two companies with South African roots that are listed in New York shone - Harmony Gold rose 10.5% and Gold Fields gained 8.5%. Elsewhere, Disney fell 6.8% and Warner Bros Discovery lost 12.5% after China said it would restrict imports of US films.

In short, the JSE All-share was up 4.31%, but the S&P 500 stumbled by 3.46%, and the Nasdaq drifted 4.31% lower.

Well, we said he'd cave, and he did. Trump conceded defeat and announced a 90-day delay in his dumbass tariff plan, triggering the biggest Wall Street rally since 2008. Punitive tariffs remain in place on China. Come on, this is no way to run a country. Businesses can't operate properly under these conditions.

After four bruising days, buyers piled back in with full force, lifting nearly every stock on the board. It was relief, euphoria, and FOMO all rolled into one. This is why we tell our clients to stay fully invested at all times.

In company news, Amazon is quietly shifting gears, cancelling orders from China and other Asian suppliers. Amazon would be on the hook for the 125% tax on all goods that arrive, which the company either needs to pass onto consumers or suck up themselves. Elsewhere, Airbus is flying slightly ahead of Boeing, delivering 136 jets in the first quarter.

At the close, the JSE All-share was down 2.07%, but the S&P 500 rose 9.52%, and the Nasdaq was an astonishing 12.16% higher. Monumental!

Wall Street was very volatile for a fourth day as the tit-for-tat trade war between the US and China kept investors on edge. The S&P 500 gave up a strong 4% gain to close the day down 1.6%. It was the first time since 1978 that it closed down by over 1% after starting with a surge of that scale. Not good.

In company news, Apple exported over $17 billion worth of iPhones from India in the past year, a massive 54% jump from the year before, but 80% of those iconic smartphones are still made in China. Expect that India number to keep rising. Note, they're not moving production to America. Elsewhere, Shopify's putting AI to the test: no new hires unless managers can prove a human beats the bot.

In short, the JSE All-share was up 2.51%, but the S&P 500 dropped 1.57%, and the Nasdaq was 2.15% lower. Rough.

US markets had a wild ride yesterday. A mid-morning Fox News story that tariffs might be delayed for 90 days sparked a sharp intraday rally, with the S&P 500 jumping 8% off its lows, only for those hopes to be dashed when the White House denied that in a post to X. These wild swings are most upsetting, but at least everyone is quite clear what the problem is (Trump) and what the solution might be (also Trump).

In company news, US consumers are scrambling to upgrade their iPhones and other Apple gear ahead of expected price hikes, fearing that the latest round of tariffs will force Apple to pass on the cost. Elsewhere, Microstrategy fell 8.7% after conceding that it has a $5.9 billion unrealized loss due to bitcoin purchases at higher prices.

At the close, the JSE All-share was up 0.75%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.23%, and the Nasdaq was 0.10% higher. That's not too bad, but hold your horses, overnight China said "the US threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake. If the US insists on its own way, China will fight to the end."

US markets cratered on Friday, capping off a two-day meltdown that wiped out over $5 trillion in value, the worst since the pandemic panic of March 2020. The S&P 500 tumbled nearly 6% on the day. Trump's hare-brained country-specific tariffs come into effect on Wednesday, unless he reverses course.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the obvious on Friday: the trade war fallout is going to hurt a lot more than anyone had hoped. That means slower growth and stickier inflation, corporate indecision, and jammed up trade. Oil also got caught in the crossfire, sinking to a four-year low.

In company news, Meta has just unleashed Llama 4, its latest and most powerful AI model yet, built on one of the world's most advanced large language model architectures.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was down 5.26%, the S&P 500 dropped 5.97%, and the Nasdaq was 5.82% lower. Fugly!