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US markets took a step backwards yesterday, retreating from recent highs. Nvidia shares slid 2.6% after China launched an anti-monopoly probe into the chipmaker, in what sounds like a tit-for-tat reaction.

Attention now turns to inflation data that could shape the Fed's rate outlook, at its meeting on Wednesday next week. The signs are that a small cut is in the offing.

In company news, Apollo Global Management and Workday are being added to the S&P 500. The former will join Blackstone as another alt-asset manager in the world's top equity index. Elsewhere, Mondelez is eyeing a sweet deal to acquire Hershey, which could create a $50 billion snacks and chocolate powerhouse. Finally, Omnicom (-10.3%) has agreed to buy Interpublic Group to form the world's largest ad agency.

At the close, the JSE All-share was up 0.81%, but the S&P 500 fell 0.61%, and the Nasdaq slid 0.62% lower. You can't win them all.

US stocks hit fresh record highs on Friday after solid jobs data reminded investors that the US economy is in great shape. The S&P 500 is up nearly 30% this year, and barring a Christmas nightmare, is on track for its best annual performance since 2019.

In company news, Meta rose 2.4% and Google added 1.3% as TikTok's Chinese parent, ByteDance, faces a ban in America unless it sells its US operations. Elsewhere, Qualcomm fell 0.6% as Apple plans to roll out its own modem in iPhones, replacing Qualcomm's components.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.11%, the S&P 500 rose 0.25%, and the Nasdaq was 0.81% higher. Very nice.

US markets cooled yesterday, just slightly coming off record highs as Wall Street shifted focus to upcoming jobs data, which could influence the Fed's December rate decision. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite closed in the red after a steaming hot rally.

In company news, Tesla gained 3.2% after a price target boost from Bank of America. Applied Materials slid 5% following a Morgan Stanley downgrade. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly is investing $3 billion in expanding US manufacturing for its diabetes and weight-loss drug portfolio.

Yesterday, the JSE All-share was up 0.62%, the S&P 500 retreated 0.19%, and the Nasdaq cooled off 0.17%. Nothing serious.

US markets soared to new highs yesterday as Fed Chair Jerome Powell highlighted the economy's resilience. Big tech led the charge, pushing the S&P 500 to its 56th record close of 2024, while the Nasdaq jumped over 1%. Nvidia was the standout among the "Magnificent Seven" megacaps, and is now up almost 65% this year. How nice!

In company news, Salesforce (+11%) and Marvell Technology (+23%) surged after strong results bolstered optimism about their ability to ride the AI boom sweeping the industry. Elsewhere, Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug Zepbound beat Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in their first head-to-head trial, giving Lilly a potential edge in the blockbuster obesity treatment race. Lilly stock rose 2.0%.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was up 0.58%, the S&P 500 rose 0.61%, and the Nasdaq was 1.3% higher. A nice green day.

US markets ended slightly higher yesterday in a quiet session. We are back to waiting for key jobs data on Friday and parsing Fed Chair Jerome Powell's remarks for rate-cut signals. Risk appetite was also dampened by geopolitical jitters after South Korea's mad hatter president briefly declared martial law. Our favourite names like Meta (+3.5%), Eli Lilly (+1.7%), Apple (+1.3%), and Nvidia (+1.2%) managed to stay ahead.

In company news, Amazon rose 1.0% after reports that US consumers spent $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday, well above 2023's less impressive $12.4 billion, making it the single biggest shopping day of all time. Elsewhere, BlackRock has agreed to acquire HPS Investment Partners in an all-stock deal worth about $12 billion, boosting its position in the private credit sector.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share was up 0.10%, the S&P 500 rose by a modest 0.05%, and the Nasdaq was 0.40% higher. Life continues.

US markets had a strong session yesterday, thanks to a rally in large technology stocks. The S&P 500 notched up its 54th record close this year, while the Nasdaq jumped just shy of 1%. The standout performers were Tesla (+3.5%), Meta (+3.2%) and Apple (+1.0%). That's a new all-time high for the iPhone maker.

In company news, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger was forced out by his board after they lost faith in his turnaround strategy for the iconic chipmaker. Meanwhile, Super Micro's independent review cleared its management team of misconduct and its shares jumped by 26.9%. That stock has been ridiculously volatile.

In short, the JSE All-share was up 1.44%, the S&P 500 rose 0.24%, and the Nasdaq was 0.97% higher.

US markets closed up in a shortened session on Friday, with the S&P 500 hitting fresh record highs. November was exceptional for the index, the gain of 5.7% was the best of 2024, bringing year-to-date returns to 27%. US equities attracted $141 billion in inflows over the past four weeks.

In company news, Amazon is stepping up its chip game, developing in-house processors to reduce dependence on industry giants like Nvidia and AMD. Elsewhere, Nissan shares edged higher after news that CFO Stephen Ma will step down. The stock rose 1% in early trading but remains down nearly 35% year-to-date.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was down 0.33%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.56%, and the Nasdaq was 0.83% higher. Good, good.

US markets were closed yesterday for the Thanksgiving public holiday. In Europe, stocks rebounded after two days of losses, led by tech gains on hopes that US restrictions on chip sales to China might be less severe than anticipated. Semiconductor stocks like ASML (+2.4%), VAT Group (+1.1%), and Aixtron (+0.71%) were among the top performers.

In company news, Direct Line Insurance shares soared up to 45% after the company turned down a GBP3.3 billion takeover offer from Aviva. Elsewhere, Amazon reported strong signups for their Prime Video streaming service, because of the scheduled NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.

Here in Joburg, the JSE All-share was down 0.37%. That's it.

US markets closed lower last night as a mild tech sell-off ended a seven-day rally. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend in America has started, so airports were busy yesterday but trading desks were deserted and volumes were low.

The S&P 500 is up over 26% year-to-date, outperforming other major market indices.

In company news, Dell Technologies and HP both took a hit, dropping 12.2% and 11.4%, as their results fell short of investor expectations. Elsewhere, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an antitrust probe into Microsoft, scrutinising its bundling of products, including cloud computing, software licensing, cybersecurity, and AI. Oh please.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was down 0.35%, the S&P 500 fell 0.38%, and the Nasdaq slipped by 0.60%.

US markets hit fresh record highs again last night, as investors shrugged off Trump's blustering about tariffs, and celebrated the Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire deal. The S&P 500 logged its 52nd record close of the year, with Eli Lilly (+4.5%), Amazon (+3.2%) and Microsoft (+2.2%) leading the rally.

In company news, CrowdStrike slipped 5.8% in after-hours trade despite beating revenue estimates. Their CFO urged analysts to calm their jets about the revenue outlook for the year ahead. Elsewhere, Dell Technologies dropped 11.5% on depressed quarterly revenues because AI-driven growth couldn't fully offset weaker demand for PCs.

Here's the lowdown, the JSE All-share was up 0.62%, the S&P 500 rose 0.57%, and the Nasdaq was 0.63% higher. Nice one!

US markets rose yesterday, buoyed by optimism about Donald Trump's selection of Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary. He's a veteran Wall Street guy and considered a calm head. The S&P 500 traded above 6 000 points again, while US small caps surged toward record highs. Most tech giants also enjoyed gains, other than Nvidia.

In company news, Macy's fell 2.6% after delaying its third-quarter earnings because a rogue employee hid $154 million of small package delivery expenses. Yikes! Elsewhere, defence contractor Lockheed Martin fell 3.76% on hopes of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. In the crypto corner, MicroStrategy made waves with its largest Bitcoin purchase to date, spending $5.4 billion.

At the closing bell, the JSE All-share was down 0.86%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.30%, and the Nasdaq notched up another 0.27% gain. A win is a win.

US markets ended Friday in the green. Notable performers included CrowdStrike (+4.1%), Tesla (+3.8%), and Uber (+2.7%), while bank stocks hit their highest levels in over two years. The dollar continued its upward streak, marking an eighth consecutive week of gains - the longest run so far this year.

In company news, Gap gapped up 12.8% after boosting its full-year outlook. Elsewhere, Nvidia's skyrocketing share price presents a unique challenge for CEO Jensen Huang's charitable foundation, as the stock's rise increases its donation obligations. Finally, Reddit dropped 7.2% after Tencent Holdings sold a chunk of its stake in the social media company.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.10%, the S&P 500 rose 0.35%, and the Nasdaq was 0.16% higher. Up is better than down.

US markets ended the day on a positive note, with the S&P 500 gaining ground after a volatile morning session. Oil prices climbed as Russia and Ukraine traded ballistic missiles, threatening energy infrastructure in that region. Bitcoin crept closer to the $100 000 milestone, because techbros are more enthusiastic about cryptocurrency since the US election.

In company news, Nvidia gyrated wildly, starting lower, then hitting a fresh intraday record, before ending just 0.5% higher as investors reassessed the company's revenue outlook. Elsewhere, cloud-based data storage company Snowflake jumped 32.7% following its latest earnings report. Finally, MicroStrategy, the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, saw its shares crumble 16% as questions arose about its value in relation to the number of Bitcoin it holds.

At the end of a busy day, the JSE All-share was up 0.29%, the S&P 500 rose 0.53%, and the Nasdaq was 0.03% higher. Nice one!

Yesterday was quiet as traders waited in anticipation for Nvidia's after-market results. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed nearly flat, while defensive sectors like healthcare showed modest gains, reflecting a shift toward safer bets in an uncertain environment.

In company news, Nvidia crushed earnings expectations again but the stock response was muted, down 2.5% in late trading. The management team highlighted strong demand for its new Blackwell product line. Elsewhere, big-box retailer Target reported dismal results for its third quarter and the stock plummeted 21.4%. More on that below.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 0.89% on the day, the S&P 500 was unchanged, and the Nasdaq was just 0.11% lower.

Stocks started in the red yesterday over concerns of an escalation in the Ukrainian war. The fear is that Moscow might get desperate and resort to using nuclear weapons. By mid-morning, the panic attack subsided and markets swung from red to green and continued to head higher. Technology stocks lead the pack.

In company news, Walmart rose by 3% to a new all-time-high yesterday. The retailer reported a 22% increase in e-commerce sales and issued a strong forecast for sales for the rest of the year. Elsewhere, AI server-maker Super Micro Computer climbed 31% after they named a new auditor which should help them stay listed on the Nasdaq. Last month, Ernst & Young resigned abruptly.

In summary, the JSE All-share closed up 0.12%, the S&P 500 rose by 0.40%, and the Nasdaq advanced by a pleasing 1.04%.