US Signals Openness to New Trade Deal as Brazil Shows Willingness, Says USTR Greer 
Modi and Trump Hold Phone Call as India Seeks Relief From U.S. Tariffs Over Russian Oil Trade 
Asian Currencies Steady as Fed Delivers Hawkish Rate Cut; Aussie and Rupee Under Pressure 
Ireland Limits Planned Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements to Goods Only 
Oil Prices Rebound in Asia as Venezuela Sanctions Risks Offset Ukraine Peace Hopes 
Australia’s Labour Market Weakens as November Employment Drops Sharply 
Global Forex Markets Brace for Fed Decision as Yen Extends Weakness 
U.S. Dollar Slides for Third Straight Week as Rate Cut Expectations Boost Euro and Pound 
Global Markets Slide as Tech Stocks Sink, Yields Rise, and AI Concerns Deepen 
Wall Street Futures Slip as Oracle Earnings Miss Reignites AI Spending Concerns 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Indian Rupee Slides to Record Low on Fed Outlook 
Asian Stocks Rally as Tech Rebounds, China Lags on Nvidia Competition Concerns 
Gold Prices Hold Firm as Markets Await Fed Rate Cut; Silver Surges to Record High 
Gold Prices Dip as Markets Absorb Dovish Fed Outlook; Silver Eases After Record High 
S&P 500 Slides as AI Chip Stocks Tumble, Cooling Tech Rally 
Fed’s Dovish Tone Sends Dollar Lower as Markets Price In More Rate Cuts 
Mexico Moves to Increase Tariffs on Asian Imports to Protect Domestic Industries 
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs Monday, driven by gains in Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and other major tech stocks ahead of key earnings reports and potential trade developments. Alphabet surged 2.7% ahead of its Wednesday earnings, while Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), also reporting the same day, dipped 0.35%. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) rose 0.62% and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) climbed 1.43%, further boosting the indexes.
Verizon (NYSE:VZ) jumped over 4% after raising its annual profit forecast. Analysts expect S&P 500 companies to post a 6.7% increase in Q2 earnings, with Big Tech leading the gains, according to LSEG I/B/E/S. U.S. Bank strategist Tom Hainlin noted that earnings so far have met or exceeded expectations, with no signs of weakening corporate profits or consumer demand.
As President Trump’s August 1 tariff deadline nears, the S&P 500 has risen about 8% in 2025, fueled by hopes trade tensions will ease. Trump has warned of tariffs up to 50% on imports from several countries, including Mexico, the EU, and Japan. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick remains optimistic about a U.S.-EU deal despite European countermeasures.
The S&P 500 gained 0.14% to close at 6,305.60, the Nasdaq rose 0.38% to 20,974.18, while the Dow dipped 0.04% to 44,323.07. Seven of 11 S&P sectors advanced, led by communication services (+1.9%) and consumer discretionary (+0.6%). Trading volume hit 19.7 billion shares, above the 20-day average.
Investors now await Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s Tuesday speech and Thursday’s jobless claims and business activity data for interest rate clues. A July rate cut is seen as unlikely, but markets price in a better-than-even chance of a cut by September, per CME Group’s (NASDAQ:CME) FedWatch tool.
