News archive

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.

US markets whipsawed on Friday as fresh tariff moves from Trump caught traders off guard. The S&P 500 gave up a near 1% gain, while the dollar firmed up. Trump's latest brainwave seems irrational, slapping 25% tariffs on most goods imported from Mexico and Canada, and 10% on China. Can he be serious? Is this a negotiating strategy? Let's see what happens today.

In company news, Apple calmed nerves with a solid revenue forecast despite iPhone and China struggles. Exxon Mobil beat estimates as strong production offset weaker oil prices. Elsewhere, Intel disappointed with a soft revenue outlook, its shares closed down 2.9% on the news.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.32%, the S&P 500 fell 0.50%, and the Nasdaq was 0.28% lower. Even so, January was a good month for markets.

After a sloppy start to the trading day, US markets closed in the green thanks to strong consumer spending data. Around 85% of S&P 500 companies advanced, with small caps leading the charge. The world's most important stock, Nvidia, closed in the green.

In company news, Mastercard rose 3.1% after reporting earnings that beat estimates, driven by growth beyond its core payments business. Elsewhere, Southwest Airlines flagged higher-than-expected costs due to rising labour expenses, taking some shine off strong leisure travel demand. Finally, UPS had its worst trading day ever (-14.1%) after announcing it would cut volumes on Amazon, its largest customer, to avoid making losses.

At the close, the JSE All-share was up 0.43%, the S&P 500 lifted 0.50%, and the Nasdaq was a decent 0.19% higher.

US markets dipped early in the day but steadied after Fed Chair Jerome Powell eased fears of heightened inflation. There was no rate cut announced, sadly, but growth, jobs and inflation seem to be on trend. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed slightly lower.

In company news, Meta jumped 2.3% after hours on strong results thanks to AI advancements and advertising pricing power. Microsoft dipped by 4.6% in late trade as its results looked good, but forward guidance was a little muted. In Europe, ASML surged 5.5% after reporting blockbuster chipmaking orders. Lastly, Tesla gained 4.2% as results, though weak, weren't as bad as feared. Elon Musk talks a good game.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was up 1.03%, the S&P 500 fell 0.47%, and the Nasdaq was 0.51% lower.

US markets closed in the green last night as big tech stocks bounced back after a rough Monday. Both the broader S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained. Nvidia rose 8.9% as investors reconsidered the rash sell-off that followed the sketchy news about DeepSeek's capabilities over the weekend.

In company news, Apple moved 3.7% higher on news that it has been quietly working with SpaceX and T-Mobile to integrate Starlink support into its latest iPhone software, offering an alternative to its own satellite service. Elsewhere, Microsoft rose 2.9% as it might be in talks to buy TikTok's US operations from ByteDance. That's according to President Trump, so take that insight from whence it comes.

At the end of another thrilling day, the JSE All-share was up 0.31%, the S&P 500 rose 0.92%, and the Nasdaq was 2.03% higher. Haha!

US tech stocks had a rough day yesterday, with AI-focused companies leading the selloff after China-based DeepSeek's low-cost, open-source language model shook up the AI industry, despite questions about its origins and durability. Nvidia plunged 16.9%, losing $589 billion in market cap, the largest one-day loss in history. We think it will recover soon.

In other company news, Constellation Energy tumbled 20.9% as AI-linked energy plays also took a hit. Elsewhere, Apple rose by 3.25% because investors felt that it wasn't an AI company at all. Lastly, AT&T surprised the market with strong Q4 results, driven by gains in mobile and fibre subscribers thanks to seasonal promos and bundling.

Yesterday, the JSE All-share was down 0.12%, the S&P 500 conked by 1.46%, and the Nasdaq ended an eye-watering 3.07% lower. Don't panic, and keep in mind that 300 of the S&P 500 stocks actually posted gains yesterday.

Stocks took a breather on Friday after posting their best start to a presidential term since Ronald Reagan in 1985. Only those over 60 will remember that. Despite a chipmaker selloff, the S&P 500 gained 1.77% last week, and the Nasdaq rose 1.52%.

In company news, Meta Platforms climbed 1.7% on plans to invest $65 billion into AI-projects in 2025. Meanwhile, Texas Instruments plunged 7.5%, its biggest drop in 5 years, after weak demand and rising costs dented its outlook. American Express profits were up 12% on the back of strong holiday spending, but the stock fell 1.4%.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.41%, but the S&P 500 fell 0.29%, and the Nasdaq dribbled 0.50% lower.

US markets reached a new record high yesterday after Trump addressed Davos and demanded lower interest rates and crude prices. Isn't the Fed supposed to be independent? It's also not clear why the Saudis would co-operate with his "vision", but cheaper oil eases inflation concerns, and that's good for stocks.

In company news, Netherlands-based chip equipment maker ASML dropped 4.4% on fears of tighter US export controls. Elsewhere, Union Pacific tooted 5.0% higher after the railroad company issued a positive forecast. Finally, ByteDance is working on a plan to keep TikTok running in the US without selling its operations.

Here's the lowdown, the JSE All-share was down 0.84%, the S&P 500 peaked, up 0.53%, and the Nasdaq was 0.22% higher.

The S&P 500 neared record highs last night after a 3-day rally. Enthusiasm in the tech sector continued, on news of ambitious AI infrastructure projects, so Nvidia rose 4.4% and Oracle was up 6.8%. It's a brave new world.

In company news, Johnson & Johnson fell 1.9% after a solid report but a weaker-than-expected 2025 outlook. Damn. Meanwhile, Travelers (+3.2%) and Procter & Gamble (+1.9%) gained on strong results. Lastly, Samsung announced a new ultra-thin phone.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share was down 0.23%, but the S&P 500 tacked on 0.61%, and the Nasdaq climbed 1.28% higher.

US stocks closed higher yesterday, with the S&P 500 climbing almost 1% as investors reacted positively to President Trump's initial policy actions. Over 400 stocks in the index advanced, fuelled by the announcement of an AI infrastructure investment initiative involving SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle.

In company news, Netflix jumped 14% in late trade after posting its largest-ever quarterly subscriber growth and raising prices; they now have over 300 million customers. Elsewhere, Adidas beat expectations, thanks to strong demand for retro sneakers like the Samba. Those are all the rage.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was up 0.13%, the S&P 500 rose 0.88%, and the Nasdaq was 0.64% higher. On we go.

US markets were closed last night, but European equities edged higher with the Stoxx 600 index closing up 0.05%. Investors kept a close watch on Washington and Donald Trump's second inauguration, anticipating a wave of executive orders spanning energy, cryptocurrencies, and TikTok.

The Euro and British pound surged against the US Dollar, enjoying their biggest one-day gains in over a year on reports that Trump would hold off imposing tariffs on US trading partners on his first day in office.

In company news, Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy faces headwinds as the US government pushes for price cuts and a recent trial delivered disappointing results, challenging its early market dominance. The stock was down 4% yesterday in Denmark and has dropped over 10% in the last week.

At the Joburg close, the JSE All-share was up a tiny 0.04%. That's it.

On Friday, US markets rallied again, capping off their best week since the November presidential election. The Nasdaq gained 3.8% for the week, while the S&P 500 rose 3.7%. It's a public holiday in the US today, and it's also Donald Trump's inauguration.

In company news, the US government has given Moderna $590 million to accelerate their bird flu vaccine development, and its shares are up 4.5% pre-market. Elsewhere, The FTC has raised concerns that Microsoft's $13 billion investment in OpenAI could strengthen its dominance in cloud computing and give it a major edge in the emerging AI market. Lastly, Intel surged over 9% following reports that the chipmaker might be a potential acquisition target.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 1.25%, the S&P 500 rose 1.00%, and the Nasdaq was 1.51% higher. Nice one.

US markets took a breather yesterday after Wednesday's strong rally, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closing in the red. A dip in tech megacaps weighed on the broader market. You can expect this kind of ebb and flow, it's quite normal. Over time, the market moves higher.

In corporate news, Microsoft is upping the price of its Office apps for consumers, banking on demand for its new AI features. Elsewhere, Morgan Stanley climbed 4% after reporting fourth-quarter profits that more than doubled, thanks to stronger-than-expected trading revenues. Finally, Rio Tinto and Glencore are said to be exploring a merger, which could mark the mining sector's biggest deal yet.

At the close, the JSE All-share was up 0.17%, but the S&P 500 fell 0.21%, and the Nasdaq sagged by 0.89%.

US markets rallied yesterday after softer inflation numbers boosted hopes for a Fed rate cut. The S&P 500 surged 1.8%, its best day since the November election and erasing its 2025 losses. Big names led the charge: Tesla jumped 8.0%, Nvidia gained 3.4%, Meta added 3.8%, and Amazon rose 2.6%.

In corporate news, Goldman Sachs popped 6% after smashing estimates, thanks to its equity traders delivering their best year yet. Meanwhile, NetApp is offloading a portfolio of cloud software assets, originally picked up during its acquisition spree to Flexera, backed by private equity giant Thoma Bravo.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 1.69%, the S&P 500 leaped 1.83%, and the Nasdaq screamed 2.45% higher.