Between the Bells

Rising Middle East tensions pushed oil prices up over 10% this week, boosting local energy stocks while leaving broader markets lacking direction. Retailers continued to struggle amid soft consumer spending and delayed rate cuts, with Cettire (ASX:CTT), Accent Group (ASX:AX1) and KMD(ASX:KMD) Brands issuing cautious updates. Iron ore miners also remain under pressure as China’s mixed recovery cont...

Wall Street closed mixed on Wednesday after the US Federal Reserve’s latest policy update kept the US interest rate steady with Chair Jerome Powell signalling it would wait to see the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on inflation before proceeding with rate cuts. The Dow Jones fell 0.1%, the S&P 500 slipped just 0.03% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day up 0.13%. In Europe overnight, ma...

Wall Street closed lower across the major averages on Tuesday as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise, hitting a 5th day of attacks between Iran and Israel. The Dow Jones lost 0.7%, the S&P500 fell 0.84% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 0.91%. President Trump took to Truth Social, his social media platform, demanding ‘unconditional surrender’ from Iran’s leader as he depart...

US equities rallied overnight off the back of optimism that the Israel and Iran conflict will be contained. The Dow Jones gained 300 points or 0.75%, the S&P500 gained 0.94% and the tech- heavy Nasdaq advanced 1.52%. Following Israel’s strike on Iran on Friday, the market took comfort in the fact that this wouldn’t escalate on Monday, after Iran reportedly spoke with several countries to press...

Escalation of attacks between Iran and Israel hit global markets on Friday. Wall Street closed lower as investors assessed the worsening tensions in the Middle East with the S&P500 dropping1.13%, while the Dow Jones lost 1.8% and the tech heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 1.3%. Oil and defensive stocks rose on Friday amid the rising price of oil due to Middle East tensions and as investors buy i...

Markets were stirred this week by fresh data revealing the impact of US tariffs, with China’s exports to the US plunging and deflationary pressures deepening. While a trade deal appears imminent, uncertainty lingers. In the US, softer than expected inflation figures helped ease pressure on the Fed for the moment. Meanwhile, Japanese business sentiment slipped into the red, while back home CBA soar...

Investors weighed inflation data as the consumer price index rose 0.1% in May from April, less than the 0.2% estimate from economists were expecting. Core CPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, also increased 0.1%, less than expected. All three major US benchmarks closed lower. The Dow Jones lost 1.1%, the S&P500 lost 0.27%, following a 3- day winning streak, while the Nasdaq c...

 Wall St rallied on Tuesday as investors focus on the outcome of US and China trade talks which entered a second day in London. The S&P500 gained 0.55% to post a third straight winning day while the Dow Jones added 0.25% and the Nasdaq ended the day up 0.63%. Investors are hoping a stable deal can be done, with some officials saying the negotiations are ‘going well and they expect the talks to...

Wall Street closed mostly higher on Monday as investor optimism remains elevated on hopes of trade talks progress between the U.S. and China. The S&P500 rose 0.09%, the Dow Jones fell just 1.1 points and the Nasdaq ended the day up 0.31%. In Europe overnight, markets closed lower as investors awaited the outcome of talks between the U.S. and China in London. The STOXX 600 fell 0.08%, Germany’s...

Nuclear energy has become one of the key beneficiaries of the AI- driven spike in electricity demand from data centers. This week we saw Uranium stocks advance following Meta’s announcement of a 20-year nuclear facility agreement. Meta’s announcement follows similar nuclear power agreements from peers Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.   In this week’s wrap, Grady covers:  (0:27): what’s driving the n...

US equities closed mixed overnight. The Dow Jones dropped 0.2%, ending at four day winning streak as lower than expected payroll data dragged down sentiment. The S&P500 and the Nasdaq however, both closed in the green, gaining 0.44% and 0.32% respectively. European markets were all in the green with the STOXX600 up 0.47%. Our local market rallied yesterday as the energy sector lead the market...

Wall St tor on Tuesday as investors anticipate details on potential US trade deals will come to light very soon. AI stocks lead the gains with Nvidia up more than 3% at the sessions’ end. The S&P500 rose 0.58% on Tuesday, while the Nasdaq added 0.81% and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.51%. In Europe overnight, markets closed slightly higher after the eurozone inflation reading eased to a coo...

Wall Street started the new trading week with all three major benchmarks closing in the green, despite the tensions in global trade. The Dow Jones gained 0.08%, the S&P500 up 0.41%, while the Nasdaq gained 0.67%.  European markets closed mixed overnight as President Trump’s 50% steel tariffs inflate EU trade tensions. The STOXX600 closed 0.14% lower, the German DAX down 0.28%, France’s CAC dow...

Wall Street closed mixed on Friday but posted strong gains across the key indices for the month of May as investors shrugged off Trump’s tariff turmoil and global trade uncertainty to send equities higher for the month. The S&P500 closed flat on Friday but gained 6.2% for the month, the Dow Jones rose 0.13% on Friday and 3.9% for the month, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 0.32% bu...

The ASX200 posted a 0.73% gain so far this week (Mon – Thurs), led by the technology and energy sectors amid the rising price of oil and growing investor appetite for growth stocks.  In this week’s wrap, Grady covers: (0:23): the US Federal Court’s ruling against Trump’s tariffs  (2:30): Nvidia’s earnings results signaling demand for AI (3:18 ): Telstra’s reaffirmed FY25 guidance (3:58): what the...

US equities declined overnight with all three major benchmarks in the red. The Dow Jones declined 0.58%, the S&P500 down 0.56%, while the Nasdaq dropped 0.51%. S&P500 futures are on the rise after Nvidia posted earnings that beat expectations, its price advancing more than 4% in after-hours trading, so this may mean good news for tech investors today. Keep watch of ASX- listed AI stocks su...

Wall St closed higher on the first trading session of the holiday shortened trading week as investors welcome the delay in tariffs on the EU announced on Monday. The Dow Jones rose 1.78%, the S&P500 climbed 2.05% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day up 2.47%. Tesla shares rose 7% on Tuesday after Elon Musk said he is shifting his focus away from politics and back into his companies, while A...

Wall St was closed on Monday for the Memorial Day public holiday. In Europe on Monday, markets closed higher as investors welcomed the delay of U.S. tariffs on the region until July. The STOXX 600 rose 1%, Germany’s DAX added 1.6%, the French CAC climbed 1.2%, and, in the UK, the FTSE100 was closed for a public holiday. Across the Asia markets to start the week, markets closed mixed as investors d...

Wall Street re-entered sell off mode on Friday after President Trump threatened tariffs on the EU, which on Saturday turned to reality with a 50% tariff announced on the region set to come into effect from June 1. The Dow Jones lost 0.61% on Friday, the S&P 500 fell 0.67% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 1%. Apple shares fell 3% on Friday after Trump posted on Trump social that iPh...

Investor sentiment remains upbeat as M&A activity accelerates, commodities shift gears as the big players look to diversify earnings, and key macro trends point to a busy second half of 2025. In this week’s wrap, Grady Wulff covers:  (0:09) Why M&A is back on the agenda, and what’s fuelling it (1:01) The Insignia Financial deal twist and what’s next (1:51) Big mining plays: BHP’s copper pu...

Wall Street closed lower for a second day on Wednesday as a spike in treasury yields prompted investors to sell equities on growing fears that a new US budget bill would place even more pressure on the country’s already large deficit. The S&P500 fell 1.61%, the Nasdaq lost 1.41% and the Dow Jones ended the day down 1.91%.  Across the European region on Wednesday, markets closed mixed as hotter...

Wall Street closed lower on Tuesday as investors await clarification on the tariffs front following a strong rally in recent weeks. The S&P500 fell 0.4%, the Dow Jones lost 0.27% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down 0.38%. The recovery rally since Trump announced negotiations were underway with China has seen the S&P500 rally more than 20% since hitting an April low, so investors h...

Wall Street ended the first trading session of the new week in positive territory as investors overlooked the latest moody credit rating downgrade on the U.S. on Friday, and instead favoured optimism from the trade negotiation progress with China. The S&P500 rose 0.09% to post a 6th straight winning day, while the Nasdaq climbed 0.02% and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.32%.  The debt downgra...

Wall Street closed higher again on Friday as investors overlooked disappointing consumer sentiment data and continued to welcome progress on the trade talk front between China and the U.S. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% on Friday and 5.3% for the week, the Nasdaq gained 0.52% on Friday and 7.2% for the week and the Dow Jones ended the day up 0.78% and rose 3.4% for the week. The latest consumer sentime...

Investor optimism fuelled a strong start to the week following the announcement of a temporary 90-day trade agreement between the US and China. This positive sentiment propelled the ASX200 up 1.3% so far this week (Monday to Thursday), with gains in technology stocks overshadowing declines in the utilities, staples, and REIT sectors. In this week’s wrap, Grady covers: (0:36): the latest update on...