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US markets ended lower yesterday, for no particular reason. There are always things to worry about, like geopolitical tensions and stubbornly high interest rates, and some days sellers outnumber buyers.

The "Magnificent Seven" group of stocks were down 1.9%, even though Nvidia gained 2.2%. Google sank 2.4% after more trouble from lawsuits. Amazon slid 3.1% on a downgrade from Wells Fargo Securities, and Apple dropped 2.3% after a Jefferies analyst grumbled about expectations for new iPhone sales this season.

In other company news, Generac rose 8.5% due to huge demand for backup power systems in southern states that are being pummelled by hurricanes. Garmin fell 4.1% after a downgrade from Morgan Stanley analysts, who think the athletic device maker's sales will shrink in the coming quarters.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share was down a tiny 0.03%, the S&P 500 fell 0.96%, and the Nasdaq was 1.18% lower. Disappointing.

US markets ended in positive territory on Friday, with all three major indices closing higher. This was fueled by a stronger-than-expected September labour market report, showing 254 000 new jobs added and a slight drop in unemployment. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq posted weekly gains.

In company news, Rio Tinto is said to be in discussions to acquire lithium miner Arcadium Lithium. If the deal goes through, it would position Rio as the third-largest lithium producer for EV batteries. Elsewhere, Nintendo shares climbed as much as 4.2% after a senior executive from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund mentioned that they are considering increasing their stakes in Japanese gaming companies.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was down 0.15%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.90%, and the Nasdaq was 1.22% higher. We remain in all-time high territory.

US markets ended slightly lower last night, after a choppy session. Oil prices remained volatile after their biggest one-day surge in nearly a year, on fears of damage to export facilities in the Persian Gulf. Most sectors of the S&P 500 were in the red but a few big cap tech stocks bucked the overall trend.

In company news, Nvidia gained 3.3% after CEO Jensen Huang said in an interview that demand for the company's new Blackwell chips is "insane". Tesla fell 3.6% after announcing a recall of over 27 000 Cybertrucks due to issues with their rearview camera. Finally, Spirit Airlines has been in talks about bankruptcy after its merger with JetBlue Airways fell through.

At the end of the day, the JSE All-share was down 0.75%, the S&P 500 fell 0.17%, and the Nasdaq was 0.04% lower. NBD.

US markets edged higher yesterday, while treasuries fell and the US dollar gained strength after some stronger-than-expected jobs data. Semiconductor stocks, including Broadcom (+1.9%) and Nvidia (+1.6%), performed well.

US companies hired more than expected last month, which contradicts other signs of a cooling labour market. All eyes are now on Friday's nonfarm payrolls report for more clues on the state of the economy. Fed officials will be watching closely too.

In company news, Tesla dropped 3.5% after missing third-quarter delivery expectations, with challenges stemming from fewer subsidies in Europe, increased competition, and rising consumer interest in hybrids over EVs. On the other hand, Salesforce gained 3.2% after Northland Capital Markets upgraded the stock to "outperform" and raised its price target to $400 from $270.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was up 0.57%, the S&P 500 delivered a marginal 0.01% gain, and the Nasdaq was 0.08% higher. Those are some tiny moves, lol.

US markets ended lower yesterday as the war in the Middle East worsened. Iran launched about 180 missiles at Israel, some of which evaded their defence systems, and a response is expected. Bonds, oil, gold, and the US dollar all gained. The tech sector had the toughest day, with Apple and Nvidia both dropping around 3%.

In company news, Nike fell 5.9% in after-hours trading following a revenue miss for the quarter, even though they smashed profit estimates. A new CEO is at the helm, and they are in recovery mode. Elsewhere, Kering (owner of Gucci) dropped 2.9% after Goldman Sachs downgraded it to "sell," which pulled down much of the luxury sector along with it.

In summary, the JSE All-share eked out a 0.08% gain, but the S&P 500 sagged by 0.93%, and the Nasdaq tumbled 1.53%.

US markets closed slightly higher yesterday, rallying in the final minutes of the day despite some wishy-washy comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. He reiterated that the US economy is in good shape, and that rate reductions will happen gradually, whatever that means.

The S&P 500 wrapped up its fourth straight quarter of gains, the longest run since 2021, with the Nasdaq 100 also on a similar winning streak.

In company news, DirecTV is set to buy Dish for $1, and take on approximately $9.75 billion of Dish's debt. This deal will create the largest US pay-TV provider. Interestingly, the same transaction was blocked back in 2002, but the TV landscape is significantly different 22 years later. Elsewhere, crypto-related stocks took a beating after Bitcoin's latest rally fizzled out. Coinbase fell 6.8%, while MicroStrategy lost 4.3%.

At the close, the JSE All-share was down 1.18%, but the S&P 500 rose 0.42%, and the Nasdaq was 0.38% higher.

US stocks notched a third straight week of gains, despite a sluggish Friday. The S&P 500 has had its best first three quarters since 1997 with a 20% rise so far in 2024. We are pleased to be fully invested.

In company news, Dell fell 4.9% on Friday after ordering its employees to come back to the office 5 days a week. Elsewhere, Brazilian authorities fined Elon Musk's social media platform, X (Xhitter?), $1.9 million. Finally, Nvidia shares dropped 2.1% after reports that China is encouraging local firms to avoid using its chips.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.29%, the S&P 500 fell 0.13%, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.39%.

US stocks moved higher yesterday, thanks to more firm US jobs data. On top of that, the Chinese government committed to boosting fiscal spending, which is also market-positive. The commies are really rolling out the stimulus bazooka this week. The S&P 500 notched its 42nd record close of the year, and the Nasdaq also finished in positive territory.

In company news, chip designer Super Micro dropped 12.2% after the US Justice Department said it would probe the San Jose, California-based company. Elsewhere, Swedish fast-fashion giant H&M dropped 4.6% following an announcement that it would miss a key profitability target for the year due to rising costs, which impacted its third-quarter earnings as it battles with Shein and Temu.

Izolo, the JSE All-share was up 1.59%, the S&P 500 rose 0.40%, and the Nasdaq was 0.60% higher. Good times!

US markets went sideways yesterday. The S&P 500 pulled back from a record high set the previous day while the Nasdaq managed a slight gain, buoyed by strength in semiconductor stocks. Crude oil got crushed because Libya's eastern and western factions agreed to increase output. Haha, what a mess.

In company news, Micron Technology jumped 14.7% in late trading after delivering an unexpectedly strong sales and profit outlook. They say there's rising demand for AI-related memory chips. Elsewhere, "shopping as a service" company Stitch Fix had a major fashion emergency on Wednesday. It reported an earnings miss and its stock price plummeted nearly 40%. Its market value is now down at $277 million, a far cry from its $10 billion peak.

In conclusion, the JSE All-share was up 1.40%, the S&P 500 gave up 0.19%, and our favourite, the Nasdaq was 0.04% higher.

US markets closed in positive territory again yesterday, still enjoying the afterglow of recent rate cuts. The S&P 500 hit another all-time high, thanks to gains in major tech names like Nvidia (+4.0%), Uber (+3.6%), Salesforce (+2.4%), and Netflix (+2.4%). Other sectors like financials, utilities, and the energy sectors lagged behind.

In company news, Visa dropped 5.5% after the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit, accusing the company of stifling competition to maintain its dominance in the debit card market. Oh for goodness sakes! Another annoying lawsuit from the Feds that will go nowhere. Elsewhere, copper miner Freeport-McMoRan gained 7.9% after the desperate-looking Chinese government announced new economic stimulus measures.

On Monday, the JSE All-share was up 1.13%, and yesterday the S&P 500 rose 0.25%, and the Nasdaq was 0.56% higher.

US markets had a great week, reaching all-time intraday highs on Friday, thanks to the Fed interest rate cut. In the closing moments of trade, the rally fizzled out, and both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite finished slightly lower on the day.

In company news, Lennar dropped 5.3% after its new-home orders for the quarter ahead came in below Wall Street forecasts. Elsewhere, Intel gained 3.3% amid reports that Qualcomm might be considering a takeover. That would be a remarkable turn of events for a storied company that has fallen on hard times. Qualcomm was down 2.9% on the news.

On Friday, the JSE All-share was up 0.08%, the S&P 500 fell 0.19%, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.36%. Big picture - we are looking good.

US markets surged higher yesterday, as the Fed's hefty rate cut boosted sentiment. The S&P 500 hit its 39th record high of 2024, extending its year-to-date gains to 20.5%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq also had a standout day, with major players like Tesla (+7.4%), Nvidia (+4.0%), Meta (+3.9%), and Apple (+3.7%) leading the way. We expected this positive turn of events, and it's gratifying to see it come to pass.

In company news, Nike is up 7.6% in pre-market trading because the company announced that longtime executive Elliott Hill will come out of retirement to take over as CEO, replacing John Donahoe. Elsewhere, FedEx shares dropped 11% after the company issued a bearish outlook, but relax, because that company has notoriously volatile revenues from quarter to quarter.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 1.26%, the S&P 500 rose 1.70%, and the Nasdaq rallied 2.51%. You love to see it.

The Fed went big yesterday, cutting US interest rates by half-a percentage-point. After the announcement the S&P 500 hit a new all-time high, briefly, before retreating and ending the day slightly lower. In his comments at the press conference, Jay Powell declared that inflation had been vanquished, and while the job market is cooling, the economic outlook is still very positive. Hurrah, we are out of the woods!

In company news, Google closed up 0.3% after securing a legal victory against the European Union, overturning a $1.7 billion fine for the way it runs its online advertising business. The biggest loser in the index was ResMed (-5.1%), the maker of medical devices to treat obstructive sleep apnoea, on an analyst note citing future competition from Eli Lilly's GLP-1 medication.

At the end of an exciting day, the JSE All-share was down 0.38%, the S&P 500 fell 0.29%, and the Nasdaq lost 0.31%. The good news was largely priced in.

US markets made modest gains yesterday, after an uptick in retail sales. Stocks in the financial sector stood out, particularly asset management firms. The S&P 500 briefly touched an all-time high. Year-to-date, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite have gained 18.8% and 19.4%, respectively. The Vestact model portfolio is up 25.1%, after costs.

Today is finally Fed day. Futures markets predict a 55% chance of a 50-basis-point rate cut. So now a 25-basis-point-cut might be a disappointment to the market?

In company news, Microsoft closed up 0.9% after announcing a 10% increase in its quarterly dividend and a $60 billion stock-buyback program. Meanwhile, Salesforce slipped 0.7% following a shift in its artificial intelligence strategy revealed at its annual Dreamforce conference. Lastly, JPMorgan Chase is in talks with Apple to take over a credit card portfolio that Goldman Sachs has been looking to offload.

In summary, the JSE All-share was up 1.24%, the S&P 500 rose a tiny 0.03%, and the Nasdaq added a slim 0.20%.

US markets were quiet yesterday with the S&P 500 edging up, and the tech-focused Nasdaq slipping back. Banks traded higher, fuelled by hopes of a soft economic landing which outweighed concerns about profit margins. We will be treading water until tomorrow, when the Fed will make its call.

In company news, Apple dipped 2.8% after an analyst warned that initial demand for the iPhone 16 Pro model was lower than expected. Elsewhere, Intel is up 8% pre-market as it scored a major win, securing up to $3.5 billion in federal grants to produce semiconductors for the Pentagon. They also unveiled a plan to spin off their foundry business and struck a new agreement with Amazon AWS. The company is in deep trouble, so this is a bounce from very depressed levels.

In summary, the JSE All-share eked out a 0.04% gain, the S&P 500 rose 0.13%, and the Nasdaq fell by 0.52%.