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US markets took a another hit yesterday as Trump's trade war rattled investors. This time he warned of 200% tariffs on EU alcohol imports like wine and champagne, in response to the bloc's countermeasures to his earlier moves on steel and aluminium. The three-week slide in the S&P 500 puts us down more than 10%, which is known as "correction territory".

Ben Carlson quipped: "It's only a Tariff if it comes from the Queens region of New York City. Otherwise it's called a tax."

In company news, Intel surged 14.6% after announcing a new CEO, industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan. He's of Chinese Malaysian extract and educated in the US, but his name sounds like something that would be sold on the shelves of Dischem. Elsewhere, Oracle is in talks with Indonesia to set up a cloud services centre in Batam. Finally, traders are getting cremated in these market conditions so shares of their favourite platform Robinhood Markets dropped 7.5%.

In summary, somehow the JSE All-share was up 0.25%, but the S&P 500 fell 1.39%, and the Nasdaq was another 1.96% lower. We are sorry.

US markets bounced back yesterday after February inflation numbers came in lower than expected. Big tech stocks rallied hard with Tesla (+7.6%), Nvidia (+6.4%), Oracle (+4.7%), Meta (+2.3%), Broadcom (+2.2%), and Google (+1.8%) leading the way. That's nice, but the Nasdaq remains over 12% below its all-time high.

In company news, Scopely, backed by Saudi's Savvy, is buying Niantic's gaming division, including the popular augmented-reality game Pokemon Go for $3.5 billion. Elsewhere, Adobe dropped 4% in late trading after issuing a weaker-than-expected revenue growth forecast for the current quarter. Finally, Roche climbed 4% because the Swiss pharma company made a bid for Danish weight-loss drug maker Zealand Pharma, which soared 41.1%. Novo Nordisk fell 4.25% on the news.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share was down 0.27%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.49%, and the Nasdaq was 1.22% higher. Ok then. We are hopeful, but no one really knows what is going on.

US markets ended slightly lower last night, as the Trump administration rolled out fresh 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports. The S&P 500 logged its worst two-day drop since August. However, a rebound in Nvidia, Broadcom, Meta, and Tesla helped pare some losses in the tech sector.

Tensions flared between the US and Canada, with Trump threatening to double tariffs on Canadian metals to 50% in response to Ontario's 25% export tax on electricity. White House spokespeople continued to talk rubbish about adding a 51st state. By the afternoon, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reached an agreement to scrap the electricity surcharge in exchange for a relaxation of steel and aluminium tariffs. This sounds more like a playground fight than the discipline needed to run global economies.

In company news, Kohl's shares tumbled 24% after the department-store chain forecast a bigger-than-expected sales decline for fiscal 2025, citing a slowdown in household spending. The biggest gainer in the S&P 500 was AI server maker Super Micro Computer (+10.7%), which has been extraordinarily volatile recently due to some management challenges.

In summary, the JSE All-share was down 0.22%, the S&P 500 fell 0.76%, and the Nasdaq was 0.18% lower. Not great.

US markets took a beating last night, with recession jitters and tariff worries keeping volatility high. The Nasdaq sank 4%, its worst drop since 2022, while Tesla cratered 15% - its biggest slump since 2020. Team Trump must be wondering what to do next, since much of this pain is self-inflicted.

In company news, Oracle is down 3.3% after-hours as it reported revenue that only rose 6.4% to $14.13 billion. CEO Safra Catz remained upbeat on outlook as cloud capacity expands. The biggest gainer in the S&P 500 was biotech company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, up 5.3% for no apparent reason.

At the close, the JSE All-share was down 1.44%, the S&P 500 fell 2.70%, and the Nasdaq was 4.00% lower. Investing can be painful sometimes, but we are staying put.

US markets had a rough week, with the S&P 500 sliding 3.1%, its worst weekly drop since early September. Friday's session was volatile, but stocks managed to close slightly higher after a long day of wild swings. For reference purposes, we are now 6.13% lower than the all-time high a month ago. We have to take the rough with the smooth.

February's employment report showed 151 000 jobs added, slightly below expectations. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1% instead of holding steady.

In company news, McDonald's shares climbed 4.2% for the week, as investors bet on its resilience during economic slowdowns. Hamburgers from the Golden Arches are always a popular family option if your monthly food budget has run out. Elsewhere, DoorDash, TKO Group, Williams-Sonoma, and Expand Energy are set to join the S&P 500 as part of the index's quarterly rebalancing.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.35%, the S&P 500 rose 0.55%, and the Nasdaq was 0.70% higher.

US markets closed sharply lower yesterday after another wave of confusing tariff headlines. Sentiment is so shaky that even Trump's decision to delay tariffs on Mexico and Canada failed to spark a rebound. This is one of those days when we need to remind you that you own actual companies, not just a collection of share prices. Take heart.

In company news, Broadcom shares are up 12.8% after-hours as the chip company boosted investor confidence with an optimistic revenue forecast, signalling that AI-related spending remains strong. Elsewhere, OpenAI and Oracle are gearing up to bring their $100 billion Stargate project online, starting with a massive AI data center in Texas. The facility will be powered by tens of thousands of Nvidia chips, with deployment set to begin in the coming months. Lastly, Kroger raised its sales outlook, trying to reassure investors amid uncertainty following its CEO's sudden departure.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was up 0.62%, but the S&P 500 slid 1.78%, and the Nasdaq sank by 2.61%. No man.

US markets bounced back last night as Trump granted a one-month auto tariff exemption for Mexico and Canada. It's a clown show folks. Tech stocks led the charge, while Ford, GM, and Stellantis all rallied over 5%.

In company updates, Disney is cutting 6% of its news and entertainment staff, nearly 200 jobs, with ABC News and politics-focused site 538 taking the biggest hits. Elsewhere, Moderna (+15.9%) got a shot in the arm from its CEO, who bought $5 million worth of shares this week. Lastly, Grindr missed fourth-quarter earnings and 2025 margin forecasts, sending its stock 7.7% lower. They'll have to grind hardr in future.

At the close, the JSE All-share was up 1.14%, the S&P 500 rose by 1.12%, and the Nasdaq bounded 1.46% higher. Ok, let's build on this, please.

US markets were all over the map yesterday, with wild swings keeping traders on edge. The S&P 500 dropped back to pre-election levels as fears of a trade war rattled investors.

Old-school automakers sank as investors worried that the higher costs of parts from Canada and Mexico will cut profits: Ford fell 2.9%, General Motors dropped 4.6%, and Stellantis sank 4.4%. But after hours, reports that Trump may be considering a tariff compromise with those two countries sparked a rally. It's a circus out there!

In other company news, CrowdStrike delivered a solid earnings report, but the stock tumbled 9% as its outlook for the first quarter of 2025 came in weaker than expected. Elsewhere, Google is reportedly lobbying the Trump administration's Justice Department to reconsider efforts to break up the company, arguing that such a move could pose national security risks.

At the close, the JSE All-share was down 0.95%, the S&P 500 fell 1.22%, and the Nasdaq was 0.35% lower.

US markets took a hit yesterday, with the S&P 500 posting its worst drop of the year. The selloff came after the US president ruled out tariff exemptions for Mexico and Canada, and imposed another 10% on trade with China. On top of that, weak manufacturing data weighed on sentiment. The vibes are not good at the moment.

The market has been on a rollercoaster ride, with the S&P 500 swinging by at least 1.5% in both directions for three straight sessions, something we haven't seen since March 2020.

In company news, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) is ramping up its US expansion plans with an additional $100 billion investment in new chip plants. Elsewhere, AbbVie announced a $2.2 billion deal to buy a next-gen obesity drug from Danish biotech firm Gubra. Finally, grocery company Kroger fired their CEO Rodney McMullen due to problems with his "personal conduct" not involving any colleagues. What did he do?

Yesterday, the JSE All-share was up 1.89%, but the S&P 500 fell 1.76%, and the Nasdaq was 2.64% lower. A nasty flop.

US markets ended Friday on a positive note, which is just as well because it was a horrible week. The PCE inflation index showed its slowest annual rise since early 2021 at 2.6% year-on-year. Consumer spending dropped 0.5%, which is a little concerning. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq gained, with all sectors closing in the green, helping to ease February's losses.

In company news, Rocket Lab has pushed back the launch of its Neutron rocket to the second half of the year and issued a first-quarter revenue forecast that missed expectations. It's down 20% so far this year, one might say coming down to earth? Monster Beverage was looking caffeinated on Friday, up 5.3% after strong sales of energy drinks pushed revenue above analyst expectations last quarter.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was down 1.58%, but the S&P 500 rose 1.59%, and the Nasdaq was 1.63% higher. Phew.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has been a Vestact recommended stock since 2012. Over those 13 years it has returned around 150%, underperforming the S&P500 which was up 316% in the same period. Thanks to multiple lawsuits, a lack of innovative products and a complacent corporate culture, the J&J share price has even underperformed inflation over the last 5 years. We can do better.

We suggest you sell your J&J and use the proceeds to buy Eli Lilly. Eli Lilly seems to be doing everything right - they have new and innovative products, are growing fast and investing strongly in the future.

Please respond to this email and let us know if you are happy to make the switch. If you already have a large Eli Lilly position we may suggest you add to something else.

US markets had a bad day yesterday, with high-growth stocks bearing the brunt of the selloff. The S&P 500 wiped out all of its 2025 gains after Donald Trump stated that 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico are set to take effect on March 4, alongside plans for an additional 10% tax on Chinese imports.

In company news, Dell Technologies slipped 1.2% after-hours, despite delivering a bullish outlook. Elsewhere, Tesla is moving to secure approval for ride-hailing services in California, marking a key step toward carrying paying customers. Finally, Apollo Global is in talks to lead a $35 billion financing package for Meta Platforms to fund data centre development in the US.

At the close, the JSE All-share was down 1.13%, the S&P 500 fell 1.59%, and the Nasdaq was 2.78% lower. Disappointing, but not a calamity.

US markets emerged back into the sunshine yesterday, ending higher after a four-day losing streak. The gains were modest because afternoon trading was negatively affected by yet another tariff-related shock. This time Trump floated plans for a 25% tariff on the European Union. I suppose he's having fun?

Chipmakers led the charge, with Broadcom (+5.1%) and Nvidia (+3.7%) posting strong gains. After the closing bell Nvidia delivered another set of stellar results, beating both sales and profit expectations and issuing an upbeat outlook on its cutting-edge Blackwell AI server systems. The stock price will open at around $130 per share today, for reference purposes.

In other company news, Taser manufacturer Axon Enterprise rose 15.3% on strong forward-looking guidance. Elsewhere, Instacart tumbled 12.3% after the food and groceries delivery company reported weaker-than-expected fiscal guidance.

All in all, the JSE All-share was up 0.65%, the S&P 500 rose a tiny 0.01%, and the Nasdaq was 0.26% higher. Ah, that's better.

Sloppy conditions continued in the US last night, as markets slipped back from the all-time highs reached last week. Consumer confidence data was published yesterday, and it slid to a level last seen in August 2021. The tech-heavy Nasdaq extended its losing streak to four days. Nvidia dipped 2.8% but has its earnings release tonight. We are excited!

In company news, Eli Lilly rose another 2.3%, cresting $900 per share after launching a cheaper, single-vial version of Zepbound, its blockbuster obesity drug, to fend off copycats. Elsewhere, Krispy Kreme plunged 21.9% to a new record low after disappointing sales of doughnuts.

Here's the lowdown, the JSE All-share was up 0.38%, but the S&P 500 got clipped by 0.47%, and the Nasdaq sagged by another 1.35%. On we go.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both stumbled midway through the trading session and ended in negative territory. Markets were pained by President Trump saying that tariffs targeting Canada and Mexico "will go forward" next week. We shall see.

In company news, Berkshire Hathaway closed up 4% after it reported good operating earnings in the fourth quarter, thanks to a solid performance from their insurance business. Elsewhere, Domino's Pizza's US sales fell short of expectations, underscoring the growing challenge of attracting budget-conscious consumers. Finally, Nike had a good day, up 4.9% after Jefferies analysts said it was "a good turnaround investment". It's about time.

At the end of the trading day, the JSE All-share was down 1.68%, the S&P 500 fell 0.50%, and the Nasdaq was 1.21% lower. Eish.