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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.

US markets closed higher yesterday as strong tech earnings helped flip the script on last month's tariff-driven selloff. The S&P 500 notched its eighth straight day of gains, the longest winning streak since August, while the Nasdaq is now trading above its pre-"Liberation Day" levels. Risk appetite seems fully recharged as investors shrug off the recent trade drama and refocus on solid corporate results.

In company news, Microsoft (+7.6%) and Meta (+4.2%) gave markets something to cheer about with stronger-than-expected results, sending both stocks higher. Elsewhere, Nvidia got a 2.5% lift after reports surfaced that the US might ease restrictions on its chip sales to the UAE. Lastly, Eli Lilly dropped 11.6% on an earnings miss, even though revenue and weight-loss drugs beat. Ouch.

On Wednesday, the JSE All-share was up 0.30%, and yesterday the S&P 500 rose 0.63%, and the Nasdaq was 1.28% higher.

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.