🐂 The Bulls Are Back in Town

Good morning, here’s the latest Global Financial Markets news from Steve Halls at NexxtGen Markets here in the City of London...

Tuesday’s session is already shaping up to be a pivotal one. As traders brace for the release of key US inflation data, global markets are riding high on a wave of optimism sparked by a surprisingly constructive U.S.-China trade agreement. Wall Street celebrated with one of its most powerful one-day rallies this year: the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged over 1,000 points, while the Nasdaq soared 4%, led by a rebound in high-growth tech and semiconductor stocks.

At the heart of today’s trading narrative are two dominant themes: inflation expectations and a renewed appetite for risk following the U.S.-China tariff truce. This convergence is driving aggressive sector rotation, renewed interest in consumer-facing and industrial names, and a noticeable weakening in safe-haven assets such as gold and Treasury bonds.

🔍 All Eyes on Inflation: CPI Incoming

Today’s U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) print is likely to be a major catalyst. Economists forecast headline inflation to rise by 0.2% month-on-month, following March’s unexpected 0.1% decline. Core CPI—which excludes volatile food and energy prices—is projected to climb by 0.3%, with both metrics holding steady at 2.4% and 2.8% year-on-year, respectively.

What’s at stake? - Should the numbers exceed expectations, it may reignite speculation around tighter monetary policy or delayed rate cuts, strengthening the U.S. dollar, lifting Treasury yields, and possibly putting pressure on equity valuations, particularly in tech.

Conversely, a cooler print would reinforce the disinflation narrative, weaken the dollar, and potentially spark another broad-based equity rally.

Assets to watch today:

• Gold: vulnerable to rising yields and dollar strength.

• USD crosses: particularly EUR/USD and GBP/USD.

• US Indices: Nasdaq and S&P 500 could be highly reactive to CPI surprises.

• Treasury Bonds: 2-year and 10-year yields will be in sharp focus.

🤝 U.S.–China Trade Deal: Risk-On Revival

Markets have been turbocharged by confirmation of a new bilateral agreement between Washington and Beijing. Reciprocal tariffs have been slashed from over 100% to just 10% for the next 90 days, providing breathing room for corporates and catalysing a global “risk-on” rebound.

Why it matters: While this may be a temporary détente, the psychological boost to global sentiment is palpable. It signals reduced trade frictions, stabilises global supply chains, and potentially revives international trade flows—benefiting tech, semiconductors, consumer goods, and heavy industries.

Investor sentiment is notably improved, with capital rotating back into equities and out of defensive assets. The "Sell America" narrative is taking a backseat—for now.

📈 Market Movers: Daily Leaders

Ticker	Name	Move	Price
FNKO	Funko Inc	▲ +46%	$5.14
DIS	Walt Disney	▲ +4.29%	$110.00
SSIT.L	Seraphim Space Investment Trust	▲ +14%	£58.71
ALTN.L	Altyngold Plc	▼ -14%	£330.00

Funko soared nearly 50%, with short squeeze dynamics likely playing a role. Meanwhile, Disney continued its rebound on the back of theme park strength and streaming resilience.

🚀 Top Gainers: Sector Highlights

U.S. Tech & Consumer Giants

The “Magnificent Seven” are back in focus.

• Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Tesla (TSLA), Nvidia (NVDA), Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) all registered sharp gains as optimism returned to high-growth tech names.
  

• Semiconductor leaders such as Broadcom (AVGO), AMD (AMD) and Intel (INTC) outperformed, reflecting hopes of smoother U.S.–China supply chain dynamics.

Apparel & Retail

• Nike (NKE), Under Armour (UA) and Lululemon (LULU) surged between 5–8% thanks to their heavy Asia-based manufacturing, which benefits from lowered import costs.

Chinese Stocks

Stocks including Baidu (BIDU), Xpeng (XPEV), Li Auto (LI), Nio (NIO) and Alibaba (BABA) climbed sharply, rebounding from multi-week lows as fears around cross-border trade ebbed.

🛢️ Commodities Climb: Oil & Copper in Focus

• Crude Oil rallied strongly on expectations of increased demand, lifted by the trade deal and positive economic outlook.
  

• Copper—a bellwether for global industrial activity—rose significantly, hinting at optimism around infrastructure investment and manufacturing growth globally.

💊 Pharma Sector: Trump Orders Drug Price Cuts

In a notable policy move, President Trump signed an executive order tying certain U.S. drug prices to lower international rates. While this puts pressure on pharmaceutical margins, the market viewed the decision as more bark than bite—for now.

Merck and Pfizer traded higher on expectations that long-term overseas price hikes could offset U.S. margin compression.

🎯 Movers & Shakers: Stocks to Watch

• UBER – Up 6.39% to $88.10. With a YTD gain over 40%, Uber remains a leader in the industrial sector. Sentiment is buoyed by expectations of a resurgence in consumer activity and global mobility.
  

• BOEING (BA) – Up 1.89% to $199. Boeing hit a new 52-week high. China has lifted its ban on Boeing aircraft, and investors await monthly delivery and order numbers due later today.
  

• JD.COM (9618.HK) – Down 1.29% to $138. JD.com will report earnings today. The stock remains under pressure but saw a 6% bump yesterday as broader markets surged.
  

• DISNEY (DIS) – Up 4.29% to $110. The stock is up 20% over the past week, with RSI flashing near-overbought conditions. Traders remain bullish on recovery in its core businesses.

🗓️ Today’s Macro Events (GMT)

Time	Data	Forecast
07:00	UK March Jobs	Unemployment steady at 4.4%, earnings growth slowing to 5.3%
10:00	German ZEW Sentiment (May)	Expected: -16 (prev. -14)
13:30	U.S. April CPI	Headline: +0.3% MoM, +2.6% YoY; Core: +0.2% MoM, +2.8% YoY

Watch: GBP, EUR, USD crosses and major indices during these data windows.

🔭 What to Watch: Big Names in Play

• Tesla (TSLA): Spiked over 6%, reclaiming the $1 trillion market cap level as improved trade outlook bolsters global EV demand.
  

• Amazon (AMZN): Up over 8%. Tariff relief removes a key headwind, boosting sentiment and expectations for robust global e-commerce growth.
  

• Samsung: The South Korean giant unveiled the Galaxy S25 Edge, setting the tone in the premium smartphone space ahead of Apple’s rumoured iPhone ‘Air.’
  

• Gold: Remains under pressure around $3,237/oz, down 2.7% Monday. Investors are watching closely for any inflation surprises or trade setbacks that may re-ignite demand for safe-haven assets.ct.

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