Goldman Sees Foreign Investors Driving India Stock Market Recovery 
Asian Currencies Stay Rangebound as Middle East Tensions, Weak China GDP Weigh on Sentiment 
Gold Prices Slip as Oil Rally Fuels Inflation Fears, Strengthens Dollar 
US Stock Futures Hold Steady as Soft Inflation Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears 
Oil Prices Set for Weekly Surge as U.S.-Iran Conflict Fuels Supply Fears 
IEA Warns China Rare Earth Export Curbs Could Threaten $6.5 Trillion in Global Production 
China Trade Surplus Hits $125.6 Billion as June Exports, Imports Smash Forecasts 
South Korea Raises Interest Rates to 2.75% as Inflation and Weak Won Drive Tightening 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Middle East Tensions Offset Weaker US Dollar 
Japanese Yen Holds Steady as Intervention Hopes Grow Ahead of U.S. CPI Data 
Asian Stocks Rally as Cooling U.S. Inflation Boosts Fed Rate Cut Hopes 
UBS Boosts China Tech Bets, Adds Kuaishou and Meituan to Focus List 
China Home Prices Fall Again in June Despite Slower Pace of Decline 
Dollar Slides as Softer US Inflation Dims Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
Asian Stocks Rise as Softer U.S. Inflation Boosts Sentiment Despite Middle East Tensions 
U.S. Imposes 25% Tariff on Select Brazilian Imports After Section 301 Trade Investigation 
China Q2 2026 GDP Misses Forecast as Weak Domestic Demand Offsets Export Strength 
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.
