Asian stocks followed US equities lower as continual shifts in US President Donald Trump’s approach to tariffs on trade partners whipped up market uncertainty and dented confidence in the economic outlook. Shares in Australia and Japan tumbled more than 1.5% each while a gauge of Chinese stocks in Hong Kong gained to the highest level since November 2021. An index of the dollar fell for a fifth session, its longest losing streak in almost a year. Bitcoin fell as details of a US strategic reserve underwhelmed. Traders pointed to uncertainty over Trump’s tariffs. US stocks failed to stage a rebound even after a decision by Trump to delay levies on Mexican and Canadian goods covered by the North American trade deal, underscoring the fragile appetite for risk. Financial markets have whipsawed this week as investors deal with geopolitical uncertainty and conflicting signals from the US about the levies. Wall Street strategists have been debating whether the Trump administration would be swayed on its tariff plans by a decline in equities. The thinking being that Trump will ditch policies if the stock market — which he touts as a report card — drops and rattles investors. Various firms even mapped out how much pain Trump could tolerate in the S&P 500 Index before retreating. That index level became known as “the Trump put,” in reference to a put option. So far, Trump has given little indication he’ll change course. The president downplayed the reaction to the latest developments, saying “I’m not even looking at the market.” That followed his comments to Congress earlier this week that levies will cause “a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that. It won’t be much.” On Thursday, Trump delayed levies on goods covered by the North American trade deal from the two countries until April 2. Later comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent all but confirmed tariffs will be coming. Bessent rejected the idea that tariff hikes will ignite a new wave of inflation, and suggested that the Federal Reserve ought to view them as having a one-time impact. European stocks have advanced almost 10% this year, as rate cuts and Germany’s plan to raise defense spending boost the market. Meanwhile, a gauge of Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong has surged almost 23% so far this year on optimism over the nation’s artificial-intelligence adoption drive and expected stimulus from Beijing. Bitcoin fell after details of a US cryptocurrency reserve emerged and indicated the government will use digital assets forfeited as part of criminal or civil proceedings. US equity-index futures rose Friday after US chipmaker Broadcom Inc.’s upbeat revenue forecast reassured investors that spending on artificial-intelligence computing remained ongoing, pushing its shares around 13% higher in after-market trading. The post-hours rally spread to tech companies that were among the hardest hit on Thursday. Nvidia Corp. and Marvell Technology Inc., which plunged during the main session as its outlook disappointed investors, rose after the closing bell. Treasuries were slightly higher Friday after a muted session on Thursday. The Mexican peso and the Canadian dollar rose on news of the potential tariff reprieve. Australian and New Zealand yields fell early Friday. In Asia, China’s central government has ample fiscal policy tools and space to respond to possible domestic and external challenges, Finance Minister Lan Fo’an said Thursday on the sidelines of the annual legislative session. The People’s Bank of China will implement a moderately loose monetary policy, Governor Pan Gongsheng said, repeating an earlier pledge to cut interest rates and lower the reserve requirement ratio for lenders at “an appropriate time.” China’s exports reached a record so far this year as higher US tariffs, and the threat of more to come, drove frontloading of shipments. Upcoming US nonfarm payrolls data on Friday may help traders identify the path ahead for interest rates, as they grapple with the impact of rocky geopolitics, the impact of tariffs on global growth and the outlook for inflation. Friday’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics will provide an update for Fed officials about momentum in the labor market that’s been the key support — at least until January — of household spending and the economy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is slated to speak at a monetary policy forum Friday afternoon. Policymakers next meet March 18-19 and they’re expected to hold interest rates steady as they gauge the labor market and inflation trends as well as recent government policy shifts. Meanwhile, Fed Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he wouldn’t support lowering interest rates in March, but sees room to cut two, or possibly three, times this year. In commodities, oil was on track for the biggest weekly decline since October while gold was on track for a gain as traders sought havens. US After Hours After Hours Summary: AVGO +16.3%, GAP +15.4% up big on earnings; WBA +5.6% on deal to go private; LUNR -28.9% as lander reaches moon, but status unclear; HPE -17.8%, BBAI -12.8%, COST -1.2% lower on earnings.
Nikkei -2.17% Hang Seng +0.55% CSI -0.14% Shanghai +0.01% Shenzen -0.03%
Eur$ 1.0811 CNH 7.2433 CNY 7.2431 JPY 147.71 GBP 1.2883 CHF 0.8823 RUB 89.0000 TRY 36.4879 WTI$ 66.30 -0.09% Gold 2,907.45 -0.15% BTC 87,715 -2.35% ETH 2,162 -2.32
S&P +0.11% Nasdaq +0.23% EuroStoxx -1.01% FTSE -0.53% Dax -1.30% SMI
Macro :
- China’s Top Tech Stocks Are Soaring While the ‘Mag Seven’ Sink
- US, China May Reach New Trade Agreement in 2H 2025, Citi Says
- Bitcoin Sinks After Trump’s Executive Order Disappoints Market
- Zelenskiy’s Kyiv Team to Meet With US Officials in Saudi Arabia
- Zelenskiy’s Kyiv Team to Meet With US Officials in Saudi Arabia
- Bitcoin Can Outperform Crypto Peers in Long Run on US Reserve
- Ukraine’s Dependence on Starlink in War Won’t Be Easy to Break
- Ex-Credit Suisse Banker in Bond Scandal Avoids Prison (Correct)
- France, Greece, Saudi Arabia: Credit Ratings Review for March 14
- Junk Bonds Are Set to Outperform ‘Riskier’ Stocks, Fridson Says
- Musk Says Next Starship Ready in 4 to 6 Weeks After Explosion
Keep an eye on :
Keep an eye on :
- AIR FP : Polish Minister Says Buying Airbus Stake Would be Big Decision
- AAPL US : Meta accelerates voice-powered AI push
- ATO FP : Atos Starts Reverse Stock Split
- POST AV : Austrian Post FY Ebit Meets Estimates
- BATS LN : BAT Unit Says Ontario Court Sanctions Mediator’s Plan
- BAVA DC : Bavarian Reports UK Acceptance of Chikungunya Application
- BIM FP : BioMerieux Sees 2025 Organic Sales at Least +7%
- AVGO US : Broadcom Sees 2Q Revenue About $14.9B, Est. $14.59B: Snapshot +7%
- ATD CN : Couche-Tard Holds Talks for Sale of US Shops in Seven & i Deal
- DRX LN : Drax Accused of Misleading Regulators on Sustainability Claims by Former Employee
- EDPR PL : EDPR Is Said to Consider Sale of Stake in Offshore Wind Venture
- ENGI FP : EDPR Is Said to Consider Sale of Stake in Offshore Wind Venture
- EUTL FP : Ukraine’s Dependence on Starlink in War Won’t Be Easy to Break
- SFER IM, : Ferragamo FY Net Loss EU68.1M, Est. Loss EU40.7M
- HPE US : HP Enterprise FY Adj EPS Forecast Misses Estimates: Snapshot -9%
- JD US : JD.com Falls After 4Q Beat as Traders Reassess Rally, AI Ability
- LLOY LN : Lloyds shifts skilled IT jobs from UK to India
- MRVL US : Marvell Sinks as Results Fail to Meet High Hopes: Street Wrap
- META US : Meta accelerates voice-powered AI push
- MBLY US : Mobileye Shares Gain as Cohen’s Point72 Discloses 5% Stake
- NVG PL : Navigator Says Board Member Sandra Santos Resigned
- NEX FP : Nexans Denies Reports On Frozen Payments for Great Sea Project
- NDA FH : Nordea to Launch €250m Share Buyback Program on Monday
- NOS PL : NOS Says Portugal Regulator Clears Acquisition of Claranet
- NVDA US : OpenAI, Oracle Eye Nvidia Chips Worth Billions for Stargate Site
- REN PL : REN FY Net Income EU152.5M Vs. EU149.2M Y/y
- REN PL : REN FY Net Income EU152.5M Vs. EU149.2M Y/y
- REN PL : REN Says Increase in Investment Is Focused on Power Network
- SFSN SW : SFS FY Ebit Misses Estimates
- STG DC : Scandinavian Tobacco FY Ebitda Before-Items Beats Estimates
- SPIE FP : BioMerieux Sees 2025 Organic Sales at Least +7%
- TIT IM : Vivendi to Exit Telecom Italia When it Gets Good Terms, CEO Says
- TOKMAN FH : Tokmanni 4Q Comparable Ebit Misses Estimates
- TTTE FP : TotalEnergies accused of downplaying oil spill risks in West Coast Business Day.za
- UMG NA : UMG 4Q Ebitda Beats Estimates, Universal Music Revenue Beats Estimates as Subscribers Increase
- VAR1 GY : German Constitutional Court Confirms Varta’s Restructuring Plan
- VIV FP : Vivendi FY Adjusted Net Income EU111M Vs. EU336M Y/y
- VIV FP : Vivendi to Exit Telecom Italia When it Gets Good Terms, CEO Says
- WBA US : Walgreens Will Go Private in $10 Billion Sycamore Deal, WSJ Says
- YOU GY : Zalando Holds Over 90% of About You Share Capital
- ZAL GY : Zalando Holds Over 90% of About You Share Capital
- FHZN SW : Zurich Airport FY Dividend per Share Misses Estimates