Wall Street Rising as Investors Balance Hopes and Worries
US stock markets rose strongly on Tuesday despite falling oil and gold prices, as investors juggle corporate earnings, news about President Donald Trump's trade talks, and increasingly clear signs of a looming global economic downturn.
AI Favorites Take the Stage
This week promises to be a watershed in the quarterly earnings season, with four of the so-called "Magnificent Seven" tech giants investing heavily in artificial intelligence set to release their results. Among them are Microsoft, Apple and Amazon, whose indicators can set the tone for the entire market.
Stock market rally: three key indices went up
American stock markets ended the day with confident growth. The main indicators showed the following results:
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: rose by 300.03 points, which is an increase of 0.75%, with a final value of 40,527.62.
- S&P 500: added 32.07 points, which corresponds to an increase of 0.58%, ending trading at 5,560.82.
- Nasdaq Composite: strengthened by 95.19 points (+0.55%), closing at 17,461.32.
Europe is not far behind: six days in the plus
European stock markets also continue to show positive dynamics. Sixth straight day of gains, thanks to strong quarterly results from the banking sector, with investors watching closely to see how businesses react to potential higher US tariffs.
Global indices: moderate optimism
The MSCI World Share Index, which tracks international markets, added 4.21 points (+0.51%) to 831.42. Meanwhile, Europe's STOXX 600 was up 0.4% by 07:16 GMT. However, if the current trend continues, the continental market risks ending the second month in a row in the red. The FTSEurofirst 300 index also rose by 7.36 points, or 0.35%.
Emerging Markets Strengthen, Asia in Positive Conditions
Emerging markets ended the session in the green on Tuesday, with the MSCI Emerging Markets Index adding 0.34% to 1,106.36. Positive conditions were also not long in coming in the Asian region, with the Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index rising 0.33% to 575.69. Japan's Nikkei continued to climb, gaining 134.25 points (+0.38%) to close at 35,839.99.
The Dollar Strengthens on Trade Signals
The US currency showed growth after US Administration Representative Bessent spoke of progress in trade talks and the possibility of new tariff agreements. However, the dollar remains under pressure and is heading for its biggest monthly decline against the euro since late 2022.
Canadian Election Hurts Loonie
The Canadian dollar, also known as the loonie, slipped slightly after Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party managed to retain power in the recent election. Currency market participants reacted mutedly, with the loonie down 0.06% to trade at C$1.38 per U.S. dollar.
Major Currencies: Heading for Volatility
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of major currencies, rose 0.2% to 99.23. The euro lost 0.35% to trade at $1.1381. The dollar also strengthened against the Japanese yen, adding 0.2% to 142.32. The British pound fell 0.27% to $1.3402.
Peso in the green: Mexico bucks the trend
Amid general volatility, the Mexican currency showed moderate growth. The peso strengthened by 0.18% against the US dollar, reaching 19.559.
Oil under pressure: Demand worries weigh on quotes
Prices for black gold continued their downward movement - investor concerns about the prospects for global economic growth and a possible decline in demand are pushing the market down. American WTI oil lost 2.63% in price, falling to $60.42 per barrel. Brent fell by 2.44% and now costs $64.25.
Gold Loses Shine as Prices Slide
The precious metal slipped on Tuesday, with spot gold down 0.59% to $3,321.54 per troy ounce. U.S. gold futures also fell, with futures down 0.47% to settle at $3,317.40 per ounce. Investors appear to have turned to riskier assets.
European Market Rebounds After Sharp Decline
European stocks are recovering from a major slump triggered by recession fears amid Washington's aggressive tariff policy. The region's benchmark index has already recovered more than half of its losses after falling nearly 18% from record highs earlier this month.
Barclays Beats Forecasts — Shares Rise
Shares in British banking giant Barclays jumped 2.3% after publishing unexpectedly strong quarterly results. The company reported a 19% increase in profit in the first quarter, which significantly exceeded analysts' expectations and supported positive sentiment on the London Stock Exchange.
DSV deal sends quotes skyrocketing
One of the main winners of the day was the Danish logistics corporation DSV. Its shares soared by almost 10% after completing the deal to acquire the German transport company Schenker. The company also presented an optimistic forecast for synergies from the merger — the market immediately appreciated this.
SSAB is not encouraging: profit sank, shares followed
A contrasting touch to the general rise was the news from the Swedish metallurgist SSAB. The company reported a 57% decrease in operating profit for the first quarter. The market reacted instantly — shares fell by almost 5%.
Futures in the minus: Asia wakes up with pessimism
Futures on US indices dropped during the Asian session: Nasdaq — by 0.67%, S&P 500 — by 0.5%. European contracts EUROSTOXX 50 also showed negative dynamics, falling by 0.06%.
Chinese market is hesitant, Hong Kong is slightly in the plus
Statistics from China failed to inspire investors — the CSI300 index, which unites key Chinese companies, rolled back by 0.07%, leveling out early growth. Meanwhile, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong showed a moderate rise of 0.1%.
Asian markets show moderate optimism
The broad index of Asia-Pacific shares excluding Japan from MSCI added 0.6%. Japan's Nikkei also closed higher, up 0.32%, reflecting growing investor interest in Asian markets despite global concerns.
