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On Friday, US stocks ended on a positive note, capping strong gains for the week and putting April's slowdown behind us. All three major indices have seen increases of at least 3.7% so far in the month of May and all-time highs are back in sight. Very satisfactory.

In company news, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) posted impressive sales figures, leading to a 5% share price increase. Elsewere, Novavax rose by a staggering 99% after announcing a licensing agreement with French healthcare giant Sanofi to jointly commercialise its Covid-19 vaccine. Its 5-year share chart still looks awful.

On Friday, the JSE All-share closed up 1.19%, the S&P 500 rose 0.16%, and the Nasdaq was unchanged.

Yesterday, US markets edged higher, propelled by gains in property and utilities companies. The gains in May from all three major indices have reversed April's declines, and they are approaching new record highs. This surge in confidence stems from the growing belief on Wall Street that the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates later this year. Sell in May and go away has been very bad advice so far.

In company news, Airbnb saw a 6.9% decline after its projection for the current quarter failed to meet analysts' expectations. Meanwhile, Warner Music Group ended 8.6% lower due to a slowdown in recorded music, and Roblox dropped 22% after its full-year guidance fell short of forecasts.

At the close, the JSE All-share closed up 0.47%, the S&P 500 rose 0.51%, and the Nasdaq was 0.27% higher.

US markets had an uneventful day. The S&P 500 ended slightly lower, its smallest movement since 2018 according to the statistics boffs. As the first-quarter earnings season approaches its conclusion, FactSet reports that S&P 500 companies grew earnings by 5.3%, the best outcome since the second quarter of 2022. Well done everyone.

In company news, Lyft soared 7.1% following a rise in revenue and a reduction in its losses from last quarter. Its competitor Uber did not fare as well (pun intended), falling 5.7% after reporting a loss due to some accounting policy changes. Elsewhere, Shopify dropped by 19% after the e-commerce service provider projected a slowdown in sales growth. Finally, Arm Holdings tumbled 9% in late trade as the chip designer's lukewarm revenue forecast for the fiscal year sparked concerns that the spending spree on artificial intelligence servers may be slowing down.

In short, the JSE All-share closed up 0.32%, the S&P 500 was basically unchanged, and the Nasdaq fell 0.18%. Nothing to get excited about.

On Tuesday, the US markets closed with a mixed performance. The S&P 500 saw modest gains, bringing its year-to-date returns to 9.4%. However, the Nasdaq, experienced a slight decline, although its year-to-date performance remains impressive at 10.6%, despite the pullback it faced in April.

In company news, luxury sportscar maker Ferrari fell 4.7% after reporting an outlook that disappointed the market despite a solid start to the year. Elsewhere, Coupang, South Korea's biggest online retailer, saw its stock dip 5% after hours following earnings that fell short of expectations. The acquisition of Farfetch resulted in more losses than anticipated, impacting the company's performance. Lastly, entertainment giant Disney shed 9.5% as its quarterly loss and earnings outlook fell shy of Wall Street's forecasts.

Here's the lowdown, the JSE All-share closed up 0.20%, the S&P 500 rose 0.13%, and the Nasdaq was down 0.10%.

US markets pushed higher ahead of another busy week of corporate earnings. Both the broader S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq extended their rally from last week with the usual suspects Eli Lilly (+4.3%), Nvidia (+3.8%), Meta (+3%), Netflix (+3%) and Tesla (+2%) leading the charge.

In company news, Palantir Technologies declined 8.4% after-hours, despite reporting robust first-quarter revenue in its commercial segment, driven by a surge in artificial intelligence demand. Chipotle announced a 50-for-1 share split, making its stock more accessible to its employees as part of its retention plan. Lastly, Spirit Airlines dropped 9.7% following the announcement of a larger-than-anticipated first-quarter loss by the discount carrier.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share closed up 0.46%, the S&P 500 rose 1.03%, and the Nasdaq was 1.19% higher. Would you look at that!

US markets rallied on Friday, driven by renewed optimism for potential interest-rate cuts later in the year. In April, employers only added 175 000 jobs, lower than the 240 000 expected, and the unemployment rate slightly increased to 3.9%. It was a case of bad news being good news. The positive momentum lifted all three major stock indices, resulting in weekly gains overall.

In company news, Amgen surged 12% following good numbers and a positive update on the progress of its injectable weight-loss drug MariTide. On the flip side, Expedia, a travel booking business, took a hit, plummeting 15% after its quarterly results failed to meet investor expectations.

On Friday, the JSE All-share closed up 0.50%, the S&P 500 rose 1.26%, and the Nasdaq was 1.99% higher. Beautiful!

US markets rebounded strongly yesterday, with tech stocks taking the lead. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite broke a two-day losing streak. Among the winners were Qualcomm (+9.7%), Nvidia (+3.3%), Amazon (+3.2%), and Netflix (+2.7%).

In company news, Apple surged 6% in after-hours trading thanks to stronger-than-expected sales last quarter and the unveiling of the largest share buyback in US history - $110 billion. Amgen spiked by a remarkable 14.6% in late trading as its revenue soared 22%, surpassing all expectations. Lastly, Paramount shares rose 13% after reports that Sony Pictures and private equity titan Apollo Global Management had submitted a $26 billion all-cash bid for the company.

Izolo, the JSE All-share closed down 0.04%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.91%, and the Nasdaq was 1.51% higher. What a volatile, crazy week this has been. Still one more session to go.

US markets finished in the red again yesterday, closing out their toughest month of the year so far. The broader S&P 500 dipped 4.2% in April, a disappointing slump after a strong showing in the first-quarter. We are still 5.81% higher in 2024.

In company news, Amazon rose 2.3% after it reported first-quarter profits that were well ahead of expectations. Eli Lilly surged 6% on Tuesday after the manufacturer of popular weight-loss drugs raised its full-year profit forecast. Stryker also delivered solid results and raised its full-year guidance, but the share price went down. Lastly, Starbucks tumbled by a shocking 15.9% after the coffee maker experienced stalled growth in China.

On Tuesday, the JSE All-share closed down 0.55%, and yesterday, the S&P 500 fell 0.34%, and the Nasdaq was 0.33% lower.

US markets continued their upward trajectory yesterday, with all major indices finishing in positive territory. Tesla was the most notable gainer on the day, surging by 15.3% on news that Elon Musk secured approval from Beijing to introduce driver-assistance services in China. Apple rose by 2.4% and Amgen put on 2.4%.

We've had a robust start to earnings season so far, with over 80% of companies surpassing expectations. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, aggregate earnings for the S&P 500 will be 4.7% higher than last year, surpassing the pre-season estimate of 3.8%.

In other company news, Samsung Electronics is up 2% as its semiconductor business returned to profitability for the first time since 2022. Elsewhere, Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp is trading 7.2% higher following reports that activist investor Elliott Management had acquired a "large" stake in the company.

In short, the JSE All-share was up 1.44%, the S&P 500 rose 0.32%, and the Nasdaq ticked 0.35% higher. A decent effort.

US markets ended the week on a high note on Friday, with the S&P 500 registering its strongest day since November. Technology and communications services stocks did very well, with Alphabet up 10%, Nvidia climbing 6.2%, and Amazon rising 3.4%. The Nasdaq Composite posted a weekly increase of 2%, while the S&P 500 gained 1%. Lovely!

In company news, Intel closed down 9.2% after reporting a first-quarter loss and issuing a disappointing outlook for 2024. Its shares are now off 37% this year, vastly underperforming its semiconductor sector peers. Elsewhere, Exxon Mobil declined by 2.8% as its streak of record-setting results seems to be slowing down, because of lower refining margins.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 1.40%, the S&P 500 rose 1.02%, and the Nasdaq was 2.02% higher. That's more like it.

US markets took a bit of a breather yesterday. The release of the US core PCE price data showed a faster-than-expected increase of 3.7%. This, coupled with gross domestic product data falling short of all forecasts, has reignited concerns about the economy. Nvidia and Tesla still managed to close up 3.7% and 5%, respectively.

In company news, Alphabet rallied 11.4% after-hours, as it crushed sales estimates and revealed a dividend plan. Similarly, Microsoft gained 4.3% in late trade following earnings that exceeded forecasts, driven by strong corporate demand for its cloud and artificial intelligence services. We are happy holders of both these megacaps.

Here's the lowdown, the JSE All-share was down 0.25%, the S&P 500 fell 0.46%, and the Nasdaq was 0.64% lower.

Earnings season is going swimmingly, and US markets remained upbeat on Wednesday. Tesla surged 12%, propelling the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite to its third consecutive session of gains. It's refreshing to see market moves influenced by tangible factors like earnings rather than elusive elements one can't quite grasp. We are so tired of the stop-start motions caused by "interest rate expectations".

After hours, things took a turn for the worse with Meta tumbling 15% as it projected second-quarter sales below Wall Street's expectations. South Korean memory chip maker SK Hynix declined 4% despite reporting its fastest revenue growth since 2010. Lastly, BHP Group has initiated a takeover bid for Anglo American, triggering the most significant upheaval in the global mining sector in over a decade.

In short, the JSE All-share was up 0.68%, the S&P 500 rose a tiny 0.02%, and the Nasdaq crawled 0.10% higher.

US markets rallied strongly yesterday, fuelled by economic data which revived hopes for US interest rate cuts. Business activity in the US expanded at its slowest pace this year, signalling a pullback in demand. So, slightly bad news is actually good news! The S&P 500 and Nasdaq had the best back-to-back rally in two months, with chipmaker Nvidia (+3.7%) leading the surge in the tech sector.

In company-specific developments, Tesla shot up 13.4% after-hours as the EV giant said it's accelerating the development of new cars, including affordable models; management remained optimistic despite missing sales targets. Elsewhere, Visa is up 2.2% in pre-market trade as its results sailed past Wall Street expectations thanks to happy people that are travelling and dining out. Lastly, Spotify jumped 11.4% because they signed up lots of premium subscribers (+14%) and delivered all-time high profits.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share was up 0.26%, the S&P 500 powered up by 1.20%, and the Nasdaq flew 1.59% higher. Now we're talking!

US markets finally rebounded yesterday thanks to optimism about tech company earnings coming this week. Nvidia led the gains of the big-cap giants, up 4.4%. The S&P 500 ended a six-day losing streak, with each of its eleven sectors finishing the day in the green.

In company news, the Chinese tea company Sichuan Baicha Baidao Industrial took a big hit, dropping more than 31% during its first day of trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Elsewhere, Tesla fell another 3.4% after reducing the price of its full self-driving (FSD) software from $12 000 to $8 000. Lastly, Verizon slid 4.7% because its quarterly revenue missed Wall Street's forecasts.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 0.26%, the S&P 500 rose 0.87%, and the Nasdaq was 1.11% higher. Ah, that's better.

US markets ended the week on a downbeat note, wrapping up what turned out to be the worst week since 2022. The tech-heavy Nasdaq took the biggest hit, with a 5.5% decline over 5 days, while the broader S&P 500 dropped by 3.1%. Notably, Nvidia experienced a significant setback, tumbling by 10% on Friday, marking its largest one-day loss in four years.

In company news, American Express rose 6.2% after reporting good earnings as new card sign-ups accelerated. United Health climbed 1.6%, finishing the week up 14% after its quarterly numbers beat Wall Street's expectations. Lastly, TikTok plans to challenge in court any US law mandating a ban or divestiture of the Chinese-owned app, if the proposed US bills are implemented.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.13%, the S&P 500 fell 0.88%, and the Nasdaq was 2.05% lower.