Wall Street points to gains as global markets rebound on tariff roller coaster

Bangkok, Apr 8 (AP) World shares and US futures advanced Tuesday, led by gains in Tokyo where the Nikkei 225 shot up just over 6 per cent as markets settled after the shocks from President Donald Trump's tariff hikes.

Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported Tuesday that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would lead trade negotiations with the country, which as been buffeted by an escalating trade war kicked off by Trump. Such negotiations are typically led by trade representatives, the Nikkei reported citing unnamed sources, hinting that currency imbalances may also be part of the reported talks.

Futures for the S&P 500 gained 1.7 per cent before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 2.1 per cent. Nasdaq futures climbed 1.5 per cent.

Tuesday's rebound followed a wild day on Wall Street, where stocks careened after Trump threatened to crank his double-digit tariffs higher.

On Tuesday, China's Commerce Ministry said it would “fight to the end” and take unspecified countermeasures against the United States after Trump threatened another 50 per cent tariff on Chinese imports.

Among the early gainers was Levi Strauss, which climbed more than 10 per cent after beating analysts' profit targets and forecasting a strong 2025, despite the ongoing trade war and tariff threats.

CVS Health climbed more than 8 per cent after the drugstore chain named a new chief financial officer, effective later this month.

Shares of health insurers like Humana, United Health and Elevance rose sharply after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a 5.06 per cent increase in Medicare payments for next year, which was stronger than expected. Humana, a company with a market capitalization of more than USD 30 billion, jumped nearly 15 per cent.

Corporate earnings season kicks off this week with Delta Air Lines reporting on Wednesday and major US banks offering up their latest results on Friday. The airline sector which had been forecasting a strong 2025, has been one of the hardest hit during Trump's tariff rollout.

Banks report their latest quarterly earnings on Friday, but most of the attention likely will be on their forecasts amid the rising global trade tensions ignited by Trump's tariffs.

On Thursday, the government posts its latest inflation data, which could play into the Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision. Many economists have raised their odds of a US recession because of the tariffs and suggest the Fed may have to step in and cut rates to help spur economic growth.

Trump's trade war is an attack on the globalisation that's shaped today's world economy and helped bring down prices but also caused manufacturing jobs to leave for other countries.

He has said he wants to bring factory jobs back to the United States, a process that could take years. Trump also says he wants to narrow trade deficits with other countries, but it's unclear how much room for negotiation there is on the US side or among its trading partners.

Indexes swung between losses and gains Monday, partly because investors are still hoping negotiations may forestall actual implementation of the stiff duties on all imports.

In Europe at midday, Germany's DAX gained 1.9 per cent, while the CAC 40 in Paris was up 1.7 per cent. Britain's FTSE 100 shot up 2.5 per cent.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 closed a smidgen over 6 per cent higher, at 33,012.58.

Hong Kong also recovered some lost ground, but nothing close to the 13.2 per cent dive Monday that gave the Hang Seng its worst day since 1997, during the Asian financial crisis.

The Hang Seng gained 1 per cent to 20,036.03. The Shanghai Composite index jumped 1.4 per cent to 3,140.15 after the government investment fund Central Huijin directed state-owned companies to help support the market with share purchases.

South Korea's Kospi picked up 0.3 per cent to 2,334.23, while the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia climbed 2.3 per cent to 7,510.00.

Markets in Thailand and Indonesia tumbled, however, as they reopened after holidays. Trading was suspended briefly in Jakarta when the JSX index fell more than 9 per cent. It was down 7.6 per cent by midafternoon. Thailand's SET lost 4.2 per cent.

In Taiwan, the Taiex lost 4 per cent, pulled lower by losses for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., or TSMC, the world's largest computer chipmaker. Its shares fell 3.8 per cent on Tuesday.

Hurt by worries that a global economy weakened by trade barriers will burn less fuel, the price of a barrel of benchmark US crude oil dipped below USD 60 on Monday for the first time since 2021. Early Tuesday, it was up 18 cents at USD 60.88 per barrel.

Brent crude, the international standard, gained 17 cents to USD 64.38 per barrel.

In currency trading, the US dollar fell to 146.90 Japanese yen from 147.85 yen. The euro fell to USD 1.0931 from USD 1.0905.

The price of gold rose USD 53 to about USD 3,027.00 an ounce.

Bitcoin gained about 6 per cent to USD 79,550. On Monday it sank below USD 79,000, down from its record above USD 100,000 set in January. (AP) OZ OZ

Source: PTI