Asian Currencies Weaken as Dollar Rebounds Amid Middle East Uncertainty and Japan Inflation Data 
Asian Stocks Gain Amid Iran Conflict Uncertainty 
U.S. Futures Slide as Iran Denies Nuclear Talks with Washington 
U.S. Dollar Weakens as Trump Signals Iran Deal Possibility 
U.S. Oil Prices Slide as Middle East Ceasefire Talks Spark Market Optimism 
Gold Prices Climb as Middle East Ceasefire Talks Stir Market Optimism 
Bank of Japan Eyes April Rate Hike Despite Inflation Dip, ING Says 
Australia-EU Free Trade Deal Signed After Years of Negotiations 
WTO Reform Talks Begin in Cameroon Amid Global Trade Tensions 
Wall Street Slides as Iran War Uncertainty, Oil Surge, and AI Fears Rattle Markets 
UK Consumer Confidence Weakens Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Living Costs 
Oil Prices Rebound as Iran Denies U.S. Talks, Middle East Tensions Persist 
Japan's Private Sector Growth Slows in March Amid Rising Costs and Middle East Uncertainty 
Asian Currencies Stay Muted as Dollar Holds Firm Amid Iran Uncertainty 
Oil Prices Rebound as Iran Denies U.S. Talks Amid Gulf War Supply Fears 
Oil Prices Plunge Over 6% as Middle East Ceasefire Hopes Ease Supply Fears 
The S&P 500 closed higher Tuesday, driven by a surge in Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares and renewed optimism over U.S.-China trade talks. Investors are betting that positive outcomes from negotiations will ease tensions and potentially roll back sweeping tariffs imposed earlier this year.
Tesla jumped 5.6%, leading gains among major tech stocks, while Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) rose 1.4% after reports that OpenAI plans to use Google Cloud to expand its computing capacity. Meanwhile, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) dipped 0.4%.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said talks with China were progressing and could wrap up by Wednesday. Hopes that “Liberation Day” tariff levels will be avoided have helped the S&P 500 rebound from its April slump, now trading just below February’s record highs. Horizon Investments’ CIO Scott Ladner noted, “You can’t get to these market valuations with those tariffs becoming reality.”
The S&P 500 rose 0.55% to 6,038.81, the Nasdaq climbed 0.63% to 19,714.99, and the Dow Jones gained 0.25% to 42,866.87. Ten of 11 S&P 500 sectors advanced, led by energy (+1.77%) and consumer discretionary (+1.19%). Trading volume reached 18.5 billion shares, above the recent average.
Investors now await Wednesday’s U.S. consumer price index for clues on the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate move. Meanwhile, the World Bank cut its 2025 global growth forecast to 2.3%, citing trade tensions and uncertainty.
In corporate news, Insmed (NASDAQ:INSM) soared nearly 29% on positive clinical trial results. J.M. Smucker tumbled 15.6% after issuing weak earnings guidance. Snap (NYSE:SNAP) slipped 0.1% after unveiling plans for consumer smart glasses to rival Meta (NASDAQ:META).
Overall, advancing stocks outpaced decliners 2-to-1 on the S&P 500, with the index posting 12 new highs and two new lows.
