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After a good start to the week, US markets took a hit on Friday, with Wall Street logging its worst session of 2025 so far. There was no particular reason for the decline, so pundits waffled about concerns like weak consumer sentiment and sluggish housing and services data. Cyclical sectors like transportation and small caps were particularly hard hit, and even the star-studded Magnificent Seven weren't spared, falling 2.5%.

In company news, payment company Block had a rough day, plunging 17.7% after missing fourth-quarter profit and revenue estimates. Elsewhere, Booking.com crushed last quarter's forecasts thanks to a busy holiday season, proving that wanderlust is still alive and well. The stock price is hovering near all-time highs.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.05%, but the S&P 500 fell 1.71%, and the Nasdaq was 2.20% lower. Oof.

US markets closed in the red last night, as stocks pulled back from all-time highs. An oddly disappointing forecast from Walmart (after releasing a stellar earnings report for 2024) raised concerns about the economy's main engine, consumer spending. Banking shares also weighed on the market, with JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs sliding over 4%.

In company news, German footwear company Birkenstock fell 4.7% after announcing faster sales of its high-end sandals and clogs, but not raising its financial targets. Elsewhere, Shake Shack rose 11.2% on strong hamburger sales and juicy margins. AppLovin flopped 8.9% after being targeted in a scathing report by short-seller Edwin Dorsey.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was up 0.60%, but the S&P 500 fell 0.43%, and the Nasdaq was 0.47% lower. It's ok, we'll live.

US markets ended the day in positive territory, with the S&P 500 inching to another record high. Healthcare stocks like Eli Lilly and Merck led the way, while most other sectors were mixed. Oil traders held their breath as meetings between the US and Russia commenced.

In company news, Prada is reportedly exploring a bid for Versace, working with advisers to assess the brand's value. Meanwhile, shares of craft goods retailer Etsy dropped 10% as it fell short of expectations in its fourth-quarter results. Finally, Palantir fell by 10.1% on reports that the White House has ordered the Pentagon to prepare for sweeping budget cuts.

In summary, the JSE All-share was down 0.81%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.24%, and the Nasdaq was 0.07% higher. A slow burn, but a win nonetheless.

US markets closed in the green last night, with chip stocks leading the charge to new all-time highs. The S&P 500 broke its January record, ending at 6 129.58 points. US-Russia talks fuelled optimism for a possible resolution in Ukraine, although the exclusion of Europe and the Kyiv administration from the process is baffling.

In company news, Nike (+6.2%) scored a slam dunk with its latest collab with Kim Kardashian's SKIMS. The sportswear giant is launching NikeSKIMS, a fresh activewear brand about empowering women to get moving. Elsewhere, Constellation Brands rose 3.95% after Berkshire Hathaway revealed an increased stake in the maker of Corona and Modelo beer. Lastly, medical device maker Medtronic fell 7.26% after missing revenue expectations in its last quarterly results.

Here's the lowdown, the JSE All-share was up 0.75%, the S&P 500 rose 0.24%, and the Nasdaq was 0.07% higher. Splendid!

US markets were closed for Presidents' Day yesterday, so there wasn't much going on. Defence shares rallied across Europe after leaders met in Paris to discuss beefing up support for Ukraine. UK PM Keir Starmer signalled a willingness to send peacekeeping troops to that country, while Germany hinted at a similar commitment.

In company news, TSMC is considering taking a controlling stake in Intel's factories at the request of Trump officials. The move aims to boost US manufacturing and tech leadership. Elsewhere, Moderna posted a quarterly loss as vaccine sales declined, and it took a hit from an unexpected charge on a cancelled manufacturing contract.

In short, the JSE All-share was down 0.36%. That's all.

US markets had a fairly muted Friday, with the S&P 500 hovering near record levels, but the Nasdaq closing solidly higher. For perspective, the overall index is now up 4% year to date. If you recall, 2022 was a complete washout, but the S&P 500 is now 70.9% higher than the low point reached on October 12, 2022. It pays to stay fully invested.

In company news, Meta Platforms extended its record streak, rising for a 20th straight session. Dell Technologies jumped 4.3% on reports that is is close to sealing a $5 billion deal with Elon Musk's xAI, to supply AI-optimised servers. Palo Alto Networks disappointed with its earnings guidance, in contrast to strong results from their cybersecurity peers.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 1.00%, the S&P 500 fell a tiny 0.01%, and the Nasdaq was 0.41% higher.

US markets zoomed higher yesterday, as some slightly more favourable inflation data was published, and Trump deferred some tariff measures. Only he seems to know what's going on. The S&P 500 inched closer to a record, and the MSCI World Index actually did hit a fresh all-time high. Among the big winners, Tesla rose 5.8%, CrowdStrike was up 4.4%, and Nvidia climbed 3.2%.

In company news, Apple closed 2% higher on confirmation that they are teaming up with Alibaba to bring AI to iPhones in China. Elsewhere, Deere fell 2.2% as it braces for a tough year. Lastly, Nestle jumped 6.2% after reporting a slight pickup in sales growth last quarter. People have to eat.

In short, the JSE All-share was down 0.11%, the S&P 500 rose 1.04%, and the Nasdaq was 1.50% higher. Nice one!

US markets had a mixed session as hotter-than-expected inflation data dampened hopes for Fed rate cuts. Stocks fell sharply out of the gate, but regained some composure later in the day. Tesla (+2.6%) led gains in megacaps, while Meta (+0.8%) extended its amazing winning streak to 18 sessions. The Nasdaq ended in the green.

In company news, DoorDash (+4.0%) , the largest food delivery platform in the US, projected first-quarter order volumes that came ahead of Wall Street expectations. Elsewhere, CVS Health surged 14.9%, their biggest jump in over 25 years, after a successful quarter under their new CEO David Joyner.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was up 0.43%, the S&P 500 fell 0.27%, but the Nasdaq crawled into the green with a gain of just 0.03%.

Yesterday was uneventful, with markets trading sideways. After a very good 2024, the S&P 500 has settled into a narrow range around 6 050 points. Jerome Powell had a drama-free appearance before the Senate, delivering his twice-yearly testimony to lawmakers. The Federal Reserve chairman largely reiterated the message that officials are in no rush to lower interest rates further.

In company news, Intel, the struggling chip-maker closed 6% higher on Vice President JD Vance's promise to make more AI systems and chips domestically. Elsewhere, Marriott International reported better than expected numbers but gave poor guidance for coming quarters due to slowing Chinese demand. Finally, Meta Platforms continued its epic run, rising for the 17th day in a row. Booyah!

In summary, the JSE All-share closed down 0.23%, the S&P 500 rose by 0.04%, and the Nasdaq ended 0.36% lower. Patchy.

Monday was a good day for markets, despite Trump's unveiling of tariffs on steel and aluminium imported into the US. Companies like US Steel, Cleveland-Cliffs and Nucor rose, while companies that use steel, like General Motors, fell. What a pain.

In company news, Meta Platforms set a new record, rising for 15 straight days in a row. Elsewhere, embattled Super Micro Computer announced that they will give a business update today, and shares soared 17.6%. Chip stocks like Nvidia, Broadcom and Micron rose, as Wall Street becomes comfortable with the idea that DeepSeek's low-cost AI gains will be good for the industry as a whole.

In summary, the JSE All-share closed up 0.33%, the S&P 500 rose by 0.67%, and the Nasdaq ended an impressive 0.98% higher. Ah, the joys.

US markets gave up their weekly gains on Friday, with the S&P 500 down almost 1%. Trump rattled on about tariffs, and jobs data showed a steady but cooling labour market. Wages jumped, bonds dipped, megacaps slid. It was just one of those days.

In company news, Amazon ended down 4% after warning of a slowdown in its cloud business, but they are still up 33% in the last 12 months. Elsewhere, Apple is revamping its iPhone SE, the cheaper smartphone it uses to lure users away from other brands. Finally, network management services company Cloudflare had a standout day, jumping 17.8% after smashing fourth-quarter expectations.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 0.32%, the S&P 500 fell 0.95%, and the Nasdaq was 1.36% lower.

US stocks wavered yesterday, drifting from red to green and back again during the afternoon. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq managed to end the day in positive territory due to a last hour surge. The market leaders were Nvidia (+3.1%), Eli Lilly (+3.3%) and Uber (+8.5%)

In company news, Amazon fell 4.0% in after-hours trade as its Q4 results hit the wires and AWS sales and guidance looked a little tepid. Philip Morris International rose 10.9% to an all-time high after the tobacco company forecast higher demand for its Zyn pouches (lol, yuck). Finally, military aircraft carrier-maker Huntington Ingalls Industries fell 18.3% after missing estimates. That must be a complicated business!

In summary, the JSE All-share closed up 0.67%, the S&P 500 rose 0.36%, and the Nasdaq closed 0.51% higher. Not bad, we'll take it.

US markets closed higher yesterday, with most major industries contributing to the gains. Despite all the distractions, earnings season has been going well. 350 of the S&P 500 companies saw their stocks rise, led by a 5.2% surge from Nvidia.

In company news, Uber fell 7.6% after delivering weaker-than-expected gross bookings guidance. Elsewhere, human resources platform Workday climbed 6.3% after firing 8.5% of its workforce, which is awkward. It was party time at Mattel (+15.3%) after they reported strong sales of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels scale model cars.

Here's the lowdown, the JSE All-share was up 0.18%, the S&P 500 rose 0.39%, and the Nasdaq was 0.19% higher. That'll do.

US markets bounced back strongly yesterday on a wave of dip buying. Big tech stocks led the charge again, with the "Magnificent Seven" up 1.7% and Meta adding to its longest winning streak ever, 12 sessions in a row.

In company news, Google dropped 7.6% in after-hours trade due to a miss on revenue as cloud growth slowed. Elsewhere, AMD slid 8.8% because of weak results, showing it's still trailing Nvidia in the AI chipmaking race. Lastly, Spotify crushed it in the fourth quarter with strong subscriber growth that beat expectations, propelling the Swedish music giant to its first-ever annual profit. It's share price closed 13.2% higher.

At the end of a swell day, the JSE All-share was up 1.13%, the S&P 500 rose 0.72%, and the Nasdaq was 1.35% higher. That should calm the nerves.

US markets closed lower yesterday, with the S&P 500 dropping 0.8% after recovering from a much nastier slide on tariff news. Trump delayed 25% tariffs on Mexico for a month, boosting the Peso but cooling the Dollar rally. After the market close he also gave Canada the same grace period. The Nasdaq also finished in the red, with defensive stocks leading gains.

In company news, defence contractor Palantir surged 22% after hours, beating full-year revenue forecasts on what CEO Alex Karp calls "untamed organic growth" in AI software demand. Elsewhere, Tyson Foods beat quarterly estimates, closing 2.2% higher as robust chicken profits offset beef losses. Finally, aerospace parts manufacturer Triumph soared 33.9% after announcing it will be acquired by two private equity groups.

In summary, the JSE All-share was down 0.54%, the S&P 500 fell 0.76%, and the Nasdaq was 1.20% lower. Just keep your head down at times like these.