Morgans Financial Limited

US equity markets closed out a strong week on a positive footing, with the Nasdaq hitting a fresh record high as investors eye inflation figures and key geopolitical negotiations later in the week - Dow rose +207-points or +0.47% to 44,175.61, settling less than

US equity markets mixed after a choppy session - Dow settled -224-points or -0.51% lower after trading in a 690-point range for the session and recording its biggest intra-day reversal since 18 June). Caterpillar Inc fell -2.48%

Technology majors led the latest advance on US equity markets - Dow rose +81-points or +0.18% Apple Inc rallied +5.09% to be the leading performer in the 30-stock index after a White House official confirmed that the iPhone maker will announce an additional US$100B investment in the U.S., building on a commitment from earlier this year for US$500B in investments over the next four years. The company is also expected to announce a new American manufacturing program that aims to move more of its supply chain and advanced manufacturing stateside and that is meant to encourage other companies to boost manufacturing of critical components in the U.S. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim Cook and President Trump formally confirmed the announcement after the close of the session. Amazon.com Inc (+4.0%) and Walmart Inc (+4.08%) both gained ~4%.

US equity markets retreated as investors digested the latest wave of corporate earnings, economic data, and various tariff updates - Dow slipped -62-points or -0.14% , with Salesforce Inc down -1.91% and McDonald's Corp -1.79%, while Cisco Systems Inc (-1.42%), Microsoft Corp (-1.47%) and Visa Inc (-1.38%) all fell ~1.5%.

US equity markets rebounded from last Friday's (1 August) steep falls amid increased bets for a September interest rate cut in the wake of weaker-than-expected jobs data - Dow rose +585-points or +1.34%, more than erasing last Friday's (1 August) -542-point/-1.23% decline. Nvidia Corp rallied +3.62% to be the leading performer in the 30-stock index, while Cisco Systems Inc (+2.06%), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+2.32%), Johnson & Johnson (2.22%), 3M Co (+2.40%), Microsoft Corp (+2.20%) and Walt Disney Co (+2.37%) all climbed over >2%. Boeing Co (+0.20%) is facing its second work stoppage in less than a year after more than 3,000 workers went on strike at midnight following a rejection of the plane maker's latest offer on Sunday (3 August).

US equity markets fell sharply to open August as new U.S. tariffs on dozens of trading partners and Amazon.com Inc's underwhelming earnings weighed on sentiment, while a weaker payrolls report added to risk aversion - Dow fell -542-points or -1.23% to 43,588.58, marking the 30-stock index's biggest one-day drop since 13 June. with Amazon (down -8.27%) the worst performer in the 30-stock index. Ten Dow components logged declines of more than >2%, including UnitedHealth Group Inc (-4.72%) and 3M Co (-3.22%).

US equity markets weaker as investors eyed some fresh ‘Big Tech' earnings after the closing bell and tonight's AEST key jobs data - Dow fell -330-points or -0.74%. UnitedHealth Group Inc lost -6.19% to be the worst performer in the 30-stock index, while Merck & Co Inc lost -4.44% International Business Machines (IBM) Corp (-2.73%), Nike Inc (-2.60%) and Salesforce Inc (-2.45%) all fell ~2.5%. Microsoft Corp +3.95%, with the company's market capitalisation briefly climbing above >US$4 trillion

US equity markets settled with modest losses as investors digested the latest monetary policy pronouncements from the Federal Reserve and eyed results after the closing bell from two of the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven' cohort of mega-capitalisation technology companies - Dow fell -172-points or -0.38% , with 3M Co (down -3.41%) the worst performer in the 30-stock index. Procter & Gamble Co lost -2.38% after the company posted better-than-expected fourth quarter results after the close of the previous session and named Shailesh Jejurikar as its new chief executive. Nvidia Corp (up +2.14%) was the leading Dow component overnight.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq pulled back from record highs as investors waded through a fresh round of corporate earnings releases and eyed the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate tomorrow morning AEST (31 July) - Dow fell -205-points or -0.46%

US equity markets kicked off an extremely busy week with modest gains, lifting the S&P500 and Nasdaq to fresh record highs following news that the US and European Union (EU) had reached a framework for a trade deal on Sunday (27 July) - Dow slipped -64-points or -0.14% to 44,837.56. Nike Inc rallied +3.89% to US$79.24 and was the leading performer in the 30-stock index after J.P. Morgan upgraded the stock to "overweight" from "neutral" with a target price of US$93 and said investors should "just buy it" ahead of next year's football World Cup co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

Chris Titley sits down with Jason Orthman, Deputy Chief Investment Officer / Lead Portfolio Manager / Investment and Executive Deputy Committee Chairs / Executive Director at Hyperion Asset Management Limited. Hyperion Asset Management is an Australian boutique fund manager, established in 1996, specializing in high-conviction growth-style investments in Australian and global equities. Based in Brisbane, the company is 50.1% owned by its executives, with Pinnacle Investment Management holding the remaining stake. Hyperion focuses on sustainably growing clients' wealth over the long term (minimum five years) by investing in high-quality companies with strong value propositions, sustainable competitive advantages, innovative cultures, and large addressable markets.

US equity markets advanced, with the S&P and Nasdaq logging fresh record closing highs ahead of a busy week that includes key central bank monetary policy meetings, fresh corporate earnings releases and President Trump's 1 August deadline for negotiating trade deals - Dow rose +208-points or +0.47% to 44,901.92, settling just 0.25% shy of a its all-time record closing high set on 4 December (45,014.04). American Express Co (up +1.09%), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+1.36%), McDonald's Corp (+1.35%), 3M Co (+1.32%) and Nike Inc (+1.13%) all gained over >1%.

US equity markets mixed following a fresh flurry of corporate earnings releases with the both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq edging up to fresh record closing highs albeit settling well off their highs of the session - Dow fell -316-points or -0.70%. International Business Machines (IBM) Corp dropped -7.62% despite the company's headline numbers topping Wall Street's expectations for the second-quarter after the close of the previous session, with the software segment underwhelming investors' expectations. UnitedHealth Group Inc fell -4.76% after the health insurer confirmed several reports in recent months that the Department of Justice is probing aspects of its business. The company said it recently "proactively reached out to the Department of Justice after reviewing media reports about investigations into certain aspects of the Company's participation in the Medicare program," and is now "complying with formal criminal and civil requests from the Department.

US equity markets advanced amid some positive news and headlines in the trade front, while investors continued to wade through the latest quarterly earnings releases - Dow rallied +508-points or +1.14% to 45.010.29, falling just shy of recording its first record closing high since December. All of Boeing Co (up +2.36%), Caterpillar Inc (+2.49%), Chevron Corp (+2.05%), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+2.44%), Merck & Co Inc (+2.90%), UnitedHealth Group Inc (+2.59%) and Nvidia Corp (+2.25%) rising over >2%.

US equity markets mixed as investors waded through the latest round of corporate earnings releases and eyed results from the first of the ‘Magnificent Seven' cohort of mega-capitalisation stocks after the closing bell of tonight's AEST session - Dow rose +179-points or +0.40%. Amgen Inc (up +3.32%) and Merck & Co Inc (+2.90%) were the leading performers in the 30-stock index. Nvidia Corp (down -2.54%) was the weakest Dow component overnight.

US equity markets advanced to kick off a busy week of second quarter earnings, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting fresh record closing highs - Dow dipped -19-points or -0.04%, with American Express Co (down -1.62%) and Travelers Companies Inc (-1.03%) both falling over >1%.

US equity markets retreated on Friday (July) amid reports President Trump had pushed for greater tariffs on the European Union (EU) - Dow fell -142-points or -0.32%, with Merck & Co (down -1.91%) and UnitedHealth Group Inc (-1.8%) both down ~1.9%.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq scaled fresh record highs following better-than-expected retail sales data and another busy corporate earnings calendar - Dow rose +230-points or +0.52%, with Coca-Cola Co (up +1.91%) and Walt Disney Co (+1.99%) rising over >1.9%. Caterpillar Inc (+1.26%), Microsoft Corp (+1.20%) and Nvidia Corp (+0.95%) all hit record all-time highs

US equity markets advanced after a choppy session as investors digested a fresh round of second quarter earnings releases and reports that President Trump was giving serious thought to dismissing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell - Dow rose +231-points or +0.53%, recovering from an earlier slide of as much as -264-points. Amgen Inc (up +2.23%) and Caterpillar Inc (+2.04%) rose over >2%.

• US equity markets weaker as investors digested the latest inflation figures and a mixed bag of second quarter results from some major banks - Dow dropped -436-points or -0.98% to 44,023.29, with American Express Co (down -3.20%) and UnitedHealth Group Inc (-2.95%) both down ~3%. Nvidia Corp rallied +4.04% to a record closing high of US$170.70 and was the leading Dow component following news that the U.S. government plans to grant licenses for the chipmaker to sell its H20 graphics processing units in China.

On 7 July the AFR published a list of 37 Economists who had answered a poll on when the RBA would next cut rates. 32 of them thought that the RBA would cut on 8 July. Only 5 of them did not believe the RBA would cut on 8 July. I was one of them. The RBA did not cut.

US equity markets logged modest gains as investors continued to monitor trade headlines ahead of key inflation data and the beginning of second quarter earnings season tonight AEST - Dow rose +88-points or +0.20% Boeing Co rose +1.62% after a preliminary report was released over the weekend regarding the cause of last month's Air India crash that killed more than 250 people on board and on the ground and did not recommend actions to fix any safety issues for operators or manufacturers of the Boeing plane and GE Aerospace (+2.71%) engines. Chevron Corp (down -2.36%) and Procter & Gamble Co (-2.09%) fell over >2%.

US equity markets retreated on Friday (11 July) as President Trump's threats of new tariffs against a host of U.S. trade partners unnerved investors, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq pulling back from record closing highs logged a day earlier - Dow fell -279-points or -0.63%, with Nike Inc (down -2.67%) and Visa Inc (-2.23%) falling over >2%.

US equity markets advanced, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting fresh record highs as investors continued to shrug off tariff-related concerns - Dow rose +192-points or +0.43%, with American Express Co (up +2.49%) the leading performer in the 30-stock index. Nvidia Corp rose +0.75% to settle with a closing market capitalisation above >US$4 trillion after breaching that level intra-session a day earlier.

US equity markets advanced, with the technology-centric Nasdaq climbing to a fresh record high as tariff and trade headlines remained in focus and as investors parsed meeting minutes from the Federal Reserve's June monetary policy meeting - Dow rose +218-points or +0.49% to 44,458.30, settling ~1% below its record closing high. Nvidia Corp rose +1.80% to US$162.88, pulling back from earlier highs that saw the chipmaker become the first ever company to achieve a market capitalisation of US$4 trillion. Nvidia needed to finish at or above US$163.93 to reach the $4 trillion milestone at the close. Nonetheless, the chipmaker's closing market capitalisation of US$3.974 trillion was a record closing peak for any company. Amazon.com Inc +1.45% that its cloud division has developed hardware to cool down next-generation Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) that are used for artificial intelligence workloads. UnitedHeatlh Group Inc fell -1.56% to be the worst performing Dow component overnight following a report from the Wall Street Journal that ex-employees and medical professionals have been interviewed by Department of Justice investigators over a probe into the insurer's Medicare billing practices.

US equity markets settled little changed after another choppy session dominated by trade and tariff headlines - Dow fell -166-points or -0.37%, with JPMorgan Chase & Co (down -3.15%) and Nike Inc (-3.41%) down over >3%. Amazon.com Inc fell -1.84% as the eCommerce giant's four-day "Prime Day" sale event kicked off overnight. Nvidia Corp rose +1.11% and continues to close in on becoming the first company ever to market capitalisation of US$4 trillion.

US equity markets fell sharply after resuming trading following the Independence Day holiday long weekend, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq retreating from record all-time highs as investors digested a flurry of headlines related to tariffs and global trade - Dow dropped -422-points or -0.94%,with Sherwin-Williams Co (down -2.18%) the worst performer in the 30-stock index, while seven other components fell over >1.5%. Nvidia Corp fell -0.69% to US$158.24 despite analysts at Citigroup lifting their target price to US$190 per share (from US$180 previously) and now calculating that the total addressable market for data-centre AI chips could be $563B by 2028 (versus a prior projection of US$500B).Citigroup believes sovereign AI, which refers to countries looking to build out their own AI infrastructure, could contribute “up to billions of dollars” to Nvidia's top line in 2025 and will come to make up an even bigger portion of Nvidia's business mix next year. Amazon.com Inc inched +0.03% higher and was the only member of the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven' cohort of mega-capitalisation technology stocks to advance ahead of its annual “Prime Day” sale event kicking off tonight AEST (8 July). After sales hit an all-time high at last year's event, Amazon has extended this year's sale to four days from two.

US equity and bond markets were CLOSED on Friday night AEST (4 July) for Independence Day. For the shortened trading week, the Dow rallied +2.30%. The S&P 500 climbed +1.72% and the Nasdaq +1.62%

US equity markets advanced in an abbreviated trading session ahead of the Independence Day holiday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting fresh record closing highs for the fourth time in the last five days as investors a stronger-than-expected jobs report - Dow rose +334-points or +0.77% to 44,828.53, falling just short of logging its first record closing high since December. American Express Co (up +1.03%), investment banks Goldman Sachs Inc (+1.09%) and JPMorgan Chase & Co (+1.86%) and Nvidia Corp (+1.33%) all hit record highs.

US equity markets advanced ahead of key jobs data tonight AEST ahead of the 4 July holiday, with investors also continuing to the progress of the massive tax and spending bill that is now being debated in the House of Representatives (after narrowly being approved in the Senate a day earlier) while eying the 9 July deadline tariff deadline - Dow dipped -11-points or -0.02% Nike Inc (up +4.06%) was the leading performer in the 30-stock index, climbing to a three-month high. Apple Inc (up +2.22%) advanced for a fourth straight session following reports at the start of the week that the iPhone maker could use OpenAI or Anthropic to power the next generation of Siri. Apple was the only member of the ‘Magnificent Seven' to lose ground in the second quarter (down -7.64%). Microsoft Corp (down -0.20%) confirmed a Bloomberg report of plans to make more cuts to its global workforce that could impact an estimated 9K workers and primarily effect sales teams. The latest cuts come just weeks after a reported 3% workforce reduction affecting ~6K employees. Amazon.com Inc slipped -0.24%, with a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing recording that founder Jeff Bezos more than 3.3M shares of his company in a sale valued at ~US$736.7M in late June. The stock sale is part of a previously arranged trading plan adopted by Mr Bezos in March. Under that arrangement, Bezos plans to sell up to 25M shares of Amazon over a period ending 29 May, 2026.

US equity markets mixed to open the new month and quarter, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq pulling back from record highs as investors continued to monitor trade negotiations and the progress of President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" through Congress - Dow climbed +400-points or +0.91% Amgen Inc (+5.05%) and UnitedHealth Group Inc (+4.54%) rallied over >4%, while Merck & Co Inc (+3.35%), Nike Inc (+3.34%) and Sherwin-Williams Co (+3.38%) gained over >3%. Nvidia Corp (down -2.97%) was the worst performer in the 30-stock index overnight.

US equity markets advanced, pushing further into record territory to cap another strong month and impressive second quarter rebound - Dow rose +276-points or +0.63% to 44,094.77. Goldman Sachs Group Inc gained +2.45% to US$707.75 to be the leading component in the 30-stock index overnight and logging its third record closing high, with analysts at Citigroup noting the investment bank emerged as “the big winner” in last Friday's (27 June) latest annual bank stress tests conducted by the Federal Reserve due to its ”much better-than-expected” improvement in stress capital buffers. Apple Inc +2.03% following a report from Bloomberg News that the company is considering using technology from Open AI or Anthropic to power voice assistant Siri.

The benchmark S&P 500 index and Nasdaq indices hit record all-time highs on Friday (27 June) albeit US equity markets settled off their session highs (and briefly turned negative in afternoon trading) as investors digested a mixture of trade policy news - Dow rose +432-points or +1.00% to 43,819.27, still sitting ~2.7% below its record high. Nike Inc soared +15.19% to pace gains in both the Dow and S&P 500 after athletic apparel maker topped fiscal fourth-quarter estimates after the close of last Thursday's (26 June) session. Boeing Co rallied +5.91%, buoyed by news of Washington and Beijing agreeing on a framework of a trade deal after a months-long tariff war. Nvidia Corp (+1.76%) insiders sold over >US$1B worth of company stock in the past year, with a notable uptick in recent trading activity as executives capitalise on surging investor interest in artificial intelligence (AI), the Financial Times (FT) reported on Sunday (29 June). More than >US$500M of the share sales took place this month as the chip designer's share price climbed to an all-time high. Nvidia last week usurped Microsoft Corp (down -0.30%) as the world's most valuable company by market capitalisation. A Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing recorded that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang started selling shares last week for the first time since September.

US equity markets advanced and remained on track to book a second consecutive month of strong gains, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt playing down the July tariff deal deadlines that have been looming over markets - Dow climbed +404-points or +0.94% to 43,386.84, its highest close since 28 February but still -3.6% below its record closing high set on 4 December 2024 of 4,5014.04. Caterpillar Inc (up +2.77%) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+2.58% and touching a record intra-day high along with JPMorgan Chase & Co (+1.65%)) gained over >2.5%. Nvidia Corp added +0.46% and touched a fresh record high that briefly lifted the chipmaker's market capitalisation above >US$3.8 trillion, having reclaimed its title of the world's most valuable company by market capitalisation from Microsoft Corp (+1.05% and hitting a fresh record high) on Wednesday (25 June).

US equity markets settled narrowly mixed - Dow eased -107-points or -0.25%, with McDonald's Corp (down -2.03%) the worst performer in the 30-stock index overnight. Nvidia Corp climbed +4.33% to a record closing high of US$154.31. It marked the chipmaker's first record close since January, lifting Nvidia's market capitalisation to US$3.77 trillion to reclaim the title as the world's most valuable company by market capitalisation from one of its main customers Microsoft Corp (+0.44% to US$492.27, marking the 12th record close in 17 June trading sessions). Nvidia hosted its annual shareholder meeting overnight, with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang identifying robotics as the company's biggest market for potential growth outside of artificial intelligence (AI) and noting that self-driving cars would be the first major commercial application for the technology. “We have many growth opportunities across our company, with AI and robotics the two largest, representing a multitrillion-dollar growth opportunity,” Mr Huang said. International Business Machines (IBM) Corp fell -0.93% after touching a fresh record intra-day high (US$296.16) earlier in the session.

US equity markets rallied and oil prices tumbled for a second consecutive session as investors welcomed news of a fragile cease-fire agreement between Iran and Israel - Dow rose +507-points or +1.19% to 43,089.02, with six of the index's components logging gains of over >2%. American Express Co (up +2.92%), Salesforce Inc (+2.95%) and Nvidia Corp (+2.59%) gained over >2.5%. International Business Machines (IBM) Corp (1.59%) and Microsoft Corp (+0.85%) hit record highs.

US markets were stronger overnight, as investors shrugged off Iran's missile attacks on two US military bases in Qatar and Iraq. The view being it is an indication of Iran's inability or unwillingness to engage in a wider conflict. The Dow rose 0.89% to 42,581.78. Paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams was the top performer of the 30-stock index, rising 3.1%.

US equity markets resumed trading following the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday, with investors' attention remaining keenly focussed on developments in the Middle East - Dow inched +35-points or +0.08% higher. Apple Inc rose +2.25% to be the leading performer in the 30-stock index and buck a weaker trend among the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven', with reports emerging executives have held internal talks about potentially bidding for artificial intelligence (AI) startup Perplexity AI. If regulators order Apple to end its partnership with Google, purchasing Perplexity would make it easier for the company to develop an AI-based search engine. The Bloomberg report came after CNBC confirmed on Friday (20 June) that Meta Platforms Inc (down -1.93%) approached Perplexity AI about a potential takeover bid before ultimately investing $14.3B into Scale AI. Microsoft Corp eased -0.59% to US$477.40 after touching a fresh record intra-day high (US$483.46). Amazon.com Inc lost -1.33% after the news that the UK's Groceries Code Adjudicator has opened a formal investigation over concerns that the retail giant may have breached rules requiring timely payments to suppliers.

US equity and bond markets were CLOSED overnight. In US corporate earnings, global professional services company Accenture, used car retailer CarMax Inc, Darden Restaurants and supermarket group Kroger Co report quarterly results on Friday night AEST (20 June).

Morgans AM - Thursday, 19 June 2025 by Morgans Financial

US equity markets fell as the Israel-Iran conflict continued to dominate investor sentiment and drive volatility and a fresh spike in oil prices - Dow lost -299-points or -0.70%. Merck & Co Inc (down -3.31%) and Nike Inc (-3.07%) both fell over >3%. Amazon.com Inc (down -0.59%) said its Prime Day discount event for Prime members next month will extend to four days (8 July-11 July).

US equity markets rebounded amid reports that Iran is willing to negotiate over its nuclear program in an effort to contain the conflict with Israel - Dow rose +317-points or +0.75%, with American Express Co (+2.23%), Cisco Systems Inc (+2.22%), investment banks Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+2.33%) and JPMorgan Chase & Co (+2.04%), Nike Inc (+2.26%), and Salesforce Inc (+2.12%) Microsoft Corp +0.88% touched a record all-time intra-day high of US$480.69

US equity markets retreated on Friday (13 June) after Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran and its nuclear facilities, pushing oil prices sharply higher - Dow dropped -770-points or -1.79% Sherwin-Williams Co -5.7% was the worst performer in the 30-stock index, with analysts at Citigroup cutting their recommendation on the stock to "neutral" from "buy," indicating that the persistence of high mortgage rates and softness in the housing market could weigh on the paint distributor's performance in the near term. Visa Inc fell -4.99% and American Express Co -3.42% after a report in The Wall Street Journal indicated that Walmart Inc (-0.41) and Amazon.com Inc (-0.53%) are considering issuing their own stablecoins, a move that could help the retail giants sidestep the interchange fees charged by credit-card providers. Nike Inc (-3.61%) and Salesforce Inc (-3.19%) also fell over >3%.

US equity markets advanced and remained on track to book a third straight weekly gain as investors awaited more signs of progress on trade negotiations and responded to fresh economic data - Dow added +102-points or +0.24% Boeing Co -4.79% after an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet crashed minutes after taking off in India's western city of Ahmedabad, killing more than 200 people.

US equity markets retreated, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq handing back earlier gains and snapping a three-session winning streak as investors digested a tame inflation report and fresh Middle East tensions while awaiting further details on China-U.S. trade talks - Dow flat Goldman Sachs Group Inc (up +1.51%), International Business Machines (IBM) Corp (+1.91%) and UnitedHeath Group Inc (+2.23%) all gained over >1.5%, while Amazon.com Inc (down -2.03%), Apple Inc (-1.92%) and Home Depot Inc (-2.02%) declined ~2%.

US equity markets advanced for s third session as US officials signalled progress on US-China trade talks - Dow rose +105-points or +0.25% Nike Inc +3.17% was the leading performer in the 30-stock index, while Merck & Co Inc (+2.55%) and Walt Disney Co (+2.65%) gained over >2.5%. International Business Machines (IBM) Corp climbed +1.53% to a fresh record closing high of US$276.24 after the company outlined what is called a “viable path” to building the world's first "fault-tolerant" quantum computer by the end of the decade named IBM Quantum Starling. IBM also booked its longest winning streak since December 2023, recording its eighth consecutive session advance after announcing plans to build what it calls “the world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer” by 2029, saying it will make way for practical and scalable quantum computing. McDonald's Corp fell -1.43% after the fast food giant received its third broker downgrade in three-days.

US equity markets settled with modest gains, building on last week's advance that saw the benchmark indices log weekly gains of over >1% as investors awaited news from trade talks taking place between the U.S. and China - Dow flat at 42,761.76. Apple Inc -1.21% as its annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicked off overnight, with the company announcing its first new iPhone operating system redesign since 2013. However, there were no highly anticipated updates around artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced Siri features, with Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi saying that the Siri features “need more time to reach our high quality bar” and that more information will be released “in the coming year.” Boeing Co (up +3.18%) aircraft manufacturer landed its first plane in China after the easing of trade tensions with the U.S. led Beijing to allow deliveries of its jets again. Nvidia Corp +0.64% Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jensen Huang pledging to boost investment in the UK's AI sector at London Tech Week, describing a “Goldilocks” opportunity. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA GTC 2025 - AI Conference for Developers kicks off in Paris tonight AEST.

• US equity markets retreated following g a choppy session that saw the S&P 500 and Nasdaq snap three-session winning streaks as investors digested the latest developments on the trade front and an escalating spat between Elon Musk and President Trump, while eyeing key jobs data tonight AEST - Dow fell -108-points or -0.25%, with Apple Inc (down -1.05), Nvidia Corp (-1.36%), Procter & Gamble Co (-1.9%), UnitedHealth Group Inc (-1.51%) and Walmart Inc (-1.4%) all down over >1%. Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble outlined plans to trim ~15% of its non-manufacturing workforce (or ~7K jobs) at a n industry conference in Paris. Microsoft Corp rose +0.82% to a record closing high of US$467.68, becoming the first among its peers to reclaim its highs since the selloff among large capitalisation technology peers earlier this year. The gin also saw Microsoft become the largest US company by market capitalisation, usurping Nvidia just two-days after the chipmaker had

US equity markets mixed as investors awaited concrete developments on the trade front and digested softer-than-expected employment data - Dow eased -92-points or -0.22%, snapping a four-session streak. Chevron Corp (down -1.56%) and Verizon Communications Inc (-1.35%) dropped over >1%.

Chip stocks traded strongly for a third consecutive session to underpin fresh gains on US equity markets - Dow rose +214-points or +0.51%. Nvidia Corp rose +2.8% to US$141.22 to be the leading performer in the 30-stock index, reclaiming the title from Microsoft Corp (+0.22%) as the most valuable US company by market capitalisation (at US$3.45 trillion).

US equity markets opened the new month with modest gains, settling near their session highs as Wall Street shook off increasing trade tensions between the US and China - Dow inched +35-points or +0.08% higher Boeing Co +2.00% to US$211.47, buoyed by an upgrade to ‘Buy' (and upgraded target price of US$260) from ‘Hold' by analysts at Bank of America Securities, who observed that the company's “aircraft have emerged as a favoured trade mechanism in recent U.S. trade negotiations, which we suspect will continue.” The analysts report also noted that “Given the progress made under [Chief Executive Officer] Kelly Ortberg's leadership, we are more confident in the company's turnaround.”