Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition

Asian stocks traded in narrow ranges early Wednesday after US benchmarks wiped out their 2025 losses on signs the global trade war is cooling and after US inflation climbed less than forecast. Equities were mixed in Japan while they crept lower in Australia. US contracts were little changed after chipmakers led Tuesday's rally on Wall Street, following news Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices will supply semiconductors to Saudi Arabian firm Humain for a data-center project. We get a look at the market landscape with Todd Walsh, CEO and Chief Technical Analyst at Alpha Cubed Investments. Plus - former US Ambassador to China Nick Burns warns that the US-China trade war has effectively become a trade embargo, driven by extreme tariffs and deepening strategic rivalry. Burns stresses that the worlds two largest global economies must strike a deal within 90 days to prevent long-term economic decoupling. He speaks with Bloomberg's David Gura. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian stocks followed gains in US equities on optimism the US-China trade truce marks the end to an all-out tariff war. Shares in Australia and Japan jumped at the open after the S&P 500 closed more than 3% higher. Japan's Topix gained for a 13th day, putting it on track for it longest winning streak in 16 years. A gauge of US-listed Chinese stocks surged 5.4% on Monday in its best session in over two months. The dollar was little changed in Asia after jumping Monday. The return of risk appetite came as trade negotiators from the world's two biggest economies announced Monday a massive de-escalation in tariffs. In a carefully coordinated joint statement, the US slashed duties on Chinese products to 30% from 145% for a 90-day period, while Beijing dropped its levy on most goods to 10%. We get reaction from Brian Krawez, President and Lead Portfolio Manager at Scharf Investments. Plus - stocks in Pakistan and India rallied Monday as a ceasefire agreement between the two nuclear-armed neighbors calmed markets that had been shaken by military clashes on their border. Pakistan's stock benchmark KSE-30 Index closed 9.3% higher, the most since 2008, in a rally that triggered an hour-long trading halt. The NSE Nifty 50 Index rose 3.8% in Mumbai, as both nations stepped back from the brink of war, allowing market participants to turn their focus back to the economic outlook for the South Asian nations. We take a closer look at the outlook for Indian equities with Peeyush Mittal, Senior Equity Research Analyst at Matthews Asia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and China both reported "substantial progress" after two days of talks in Switzerland aimed at de-escalating a trade war, marking what Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng called "an important first step" toward resolving differences. While neither side immediately announced specific measures on Sunday, He said the world's two biggest economies agreed to create a mechanism for further talks, led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and himself. Bessent said the US would share details on Monday and He promised a joint statement. We get analysis from Alicia Garcia Herrero, Chief APAC Economist at Natixis. She speaks with Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts. Plus - Japanese stock futures rose on optimism the US-China trade tension may begin to de-escalate after those talks. The Nikkei 225 has climbed 5% through Friday since US President Donald Trump announced so-called reciprocal tariffs on April 2nd, among the best performing major markets. Japan last month was one of the first countries to formally engage in talks with the US, though an agreement is yet to be made. For more on Japan's outlook, we hear from Jean Eric Salata, Chairman and Head of Private Credit at EQT Asia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Tom Busby takes a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian stocks inched higher at the Friday open after US President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with the United Kingdom and signaled tariffs on Chinese goods may fall if upcoming talks go well. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are set to meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Switzerland on Saturday. For some analysis, we hear from Claire Reade, Senior Counsel at Arnold & Porter and former Assistant US Trade Representative for China Affairs. She speaks with Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts. Stateside - markets rose Thursday on optimism about the China talks, as well as Trump's UK announcement. The S&P 500 extended gains to session highs, climbing about 1.5%, as Treasuries, gold and haven currencies lost steam. We get reaction from Eli Lee, Chief Investment Strategist at Bank of Singapore, and Derek Wallbank, Bloomberg News Senior Editor in Singapore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian stocks traded in a tight range Thursday after the Federal Reserve reiterated it isn't in a rush to lower interest rates, and investors awaited the trade negotiations between China and the US. Stateside, the S&P 500 halted a two-day slide, led by chipmakers as Bloomberg News reported that the Trump administration plans to rescind Biden-era curbs for the industry. For more on the day's market outlook, we heard from Alex Wolf, Head of Asia Investment Strategy at JPMorgan Private Bank. He speaks with Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts. Plus - President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he's unwilling to preemptively lower tariffs on China in order to unlock more substantive negotiations with Beijing on trade. His comments come ahead of bilateral talks between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this weekend in Switzerland. We get the latest from Bloomberg's US Treasury Reporter, Dan Flatley, along with Bloomberg's China Correspondent, Minmin Low. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India's government said it conducted targeted military strikes against Pakistan early Wednesday, a widely anticipated move after it pledged retaliation for a militant attack last month in Kashmir that killed 26 people. Pakistan said it shot down five Indian airplanes in retaliation. The downing of the jets are not "hostile acts" and Pakistan was defending its territory, according to the country's Defense Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif. He speaks with Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Paul Allen. Plus - US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will travel to Switzerland later this week for trade talks with China led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, jump-starting negotiations between the two nations. The visit was announced in statements Tuesday from the Chinese and US governments. It will be the first confirmed trade talks between the countries since President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs, led by punishing levies on China. We get reaction from Romy Varghese, Bloomberg News Politics Editor, and Bloomberg China Correspondent, Minmin Low. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A gauge of the dollar rose 0.3% after declining Monday as speculation around potential trade deals sparked an extraordinary spike in Taiwan's dollar and resonated across global foreign exchange markets. The MSCI Emerging Markets Currency Index rose 0.6% to a record. US stock futures edged lower after the S&P 500 halted its longest rally in about 20 years. We get a look at the market landscape with Suresh Tantia, Chief Investment Officer and APAC Strategist at UBS Global Wealth Management. He speaks to Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts. Plus - oil dropped during New York's Monday session after OPEC+ agreed to another large output increase, raising concern that additional supply could lead to a global glut just as the trade war threatens demand. We get reaction from Vandana Hari, Founder at VANDA Insights. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Financial markets have steadied in the past two weeks - the S&P 500 on Friday posted its longest winning streak in two decades - amid signs that talks with Asian nations are progressing and trade tensions between China and the US are thawing. President Donald Trump also said in an interview Sunday that he's willing to lower the tariff on Chinese imports to spur trade. Sentiment is also being supported after robust US jobs data alleviated concerns of a deep US recession. We hear from Kerry Craig, Global Market Strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management. He speaks to Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts. Plus - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won a significant victory for his center-left Labor Party on Saturday, becoming the first Australian leader to win consecutive elections in over two decades. For some analysis, we heard from Diana Mousina, Deputy Chief Economist at AMP, and Andrea Carson, Professor of Political Communication at La Trobe University. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Tom Busby takes a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian stocks edged up and US equity-index futures reversed losses Friday after China said it's evaluating possible US trade talks, boosting optimism that tariff tensions will tamp down. China's Commerce Ministry said in a Friday statement that it had noted senior US officials repeatedly expressing their willingness to talk to Beijing about tariffs, and urged officials in Washington to show "sincerity" towards China. Meanwhile, Japanese shares gained 1.2% on optimistic comments from Japan's chief trade negotiator on their own talks. We get reaction to the day's market headlines from David Finnerty, Bloomberg FX and Rates Strategist in Singapore. Plus - the S&P 500 has gained for eight consecutive days, its longest run since August, amid increased optimism that trade tensions are waning since President Donald Trump announced century-high levies April 2nd. Investors will turn their attention to the US jobs report due Friday, the last piece of significant data this week, after disappointing earnings from Apple Inc. and Amazon Inc. We speak with Bill Adams, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist at Comerica Bank. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US equity futures rallied Thursday on stronger-than-expected tech earnings and signs the Trump administration may be close to announcing the first round of trade deals to reduce planned tariffs. The advance for US futures came after the S&P 500 erased an intraday drop of more than 2% Wednesday to close 0.2% higher. Shares in Japan and Australia both edged lower Thursday. A number of markets are shut for holidays across Asia including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and India. Meantime, the outcome of Australia's tight federal election could be the next catalyst for local assets as a tariff standoff between the US and China continues to rattle markets. We preview Saturday's federal election with Bloomberg's Paul Allen in Sydney. Plus - contracts for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both gained at least 0.9%, helped by a post-market rally for Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc. following their bullish corporate results. Microsoft posted better-than-expected sales, while Meta also exceeded analysts' sales forecasts, suggesting customer demand hasn't been rattled by tariffs. We discuss the day's Mag Seven earnings and the latest eco data out of the US with George Cipolloni, Portfolio Manager at Penn Mutual Asset Management. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the S&P 500 closed higher for five consecutive sessions, the American equity benchmark posted its longest winning streak since November. Monday marked the fifth time in the past month the index fully wiped out an intraday gain or drop of 1% or more. The number of reversals already matches the total seen in the entire year of 2024. After the US close, President Donald Trump renewed criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as he championed his economic policies and tariff regime during a Tuesday event to mark his 100th day in office. We break down Trump's remarks with Joe Mathieu, Host of Bloomberg's Balance of Power. As uncertainty around US tariffs looms over global markets, investors in Asia are looking ahead to key economic data from China to get a sense of the macro environment. We speak with Mary Nicola, Bloomberg MLIV Strategist in Singapore. Plus - four of the so-called Magnificent Seven - Microsoft Corp., Apple Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. - are due to report earnings this week. Analysts expect the group — which also includes Google-parent Alphabet, Tesla Inc. and Nvidia Corp. — to deliver an average of 15% profit growth in 2025, a forecast that's barely budged since the start of March despite the flareup in trade tensions. We preview the numbers with David Nicholson, Chief Research Officer at The Futurum Group. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Asian Development Bank has lowered its growth forecast for Asia further after the region found itself the hardest hit by tariffs from the US. The multilateral institution said those tariffs will shave growth in the region by a third of a percentage point in 2025 and a full percentage point in 2026. In its annual outlook report released Wednesday - numbers for which were calculated before the April 2 tariff announcements by President Donald Trump - ADB forecast growth in emerging Asia to moderate to 4.9% in 2025 and 4.7% in 2026. ADB President Masato Kanda speaks exclusively with Bloomberg's Shery Ahn in Tokyo. Plus - a late-day wave of dip buying in the US erased losses in stocks, with Wall Street investors awaiting a slew of corporate earnings and economic data for insights on the impacts of President Donald Trump's tariff war. As the S&P 500 closed higher for five consecutive sessions, the American equity benchmark posted its longest winning streak since November. Monday marked the fifth time in the past month the index fully wiped out an intraday gain or drop of 1% or more. The number of reversals already matches the total seen in the entire year of 2024. We take a look at the US economy with Clayton Triick, Head of Portfolio Management at Angel Oak Capital Advisors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian shares gained in a cautious start to the week as investors await progress in US trade negotiations with the region and signs of further stimulus from China. The dollar was steady against major peers and US equity-index futures edged lower in early trading Monday. Contracts in Japan signal a gain when cash markets reopen after the yen weakened on Friday, while those in Australia and Hong Kong were little changed. We talk FX and currencies with Peter McGuire, CEO at Trading.com Australia. Plus - US stocks notched their longest advance in three months on Friday, while bonds and the dollar climbed amid increasing expectations the Federal Reserve could ease policy again in the first half of this year as the US economy softens. Worries about the economic fallout from tariffs drove US consumer sentiment to one of its lowest readings on record while long-term inflation expectations climbed to the highest since 1991. Investors will focus on key economic data this week - including the US jobs report and gross domestic product data - to see if the the recent steadiness in markets will continue as tariff tensions tamp down. We preview the week's eco data with Lawrence Werther, Chief US Economist at Daiwa Capital Markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Tom Busby takes a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Check out the new Stock Movers Podcast from Bloomberg. Subscribe for five-minute episodes on today's winners and losers in the stock market. Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/4kJ43ON Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/mr385jv6 Listen on other platforms: https://link.podtrac.com/h0zn7xir See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration was talking with China on trade, after Beijing denied the existence of negotiations on a deal and demanded the US revoke all unilateral tariffs. The Chinese Commerce Ministry dismissed speculation that progress has been made in bilateral communications, saying "any reports on development in talks are groundless," while urging the US to "show sincerity" if it wants to make a deal. We discuss the latest on the trade war with David Chao, Global Market Strategist, APAC at Invesco. Plus - Fed Governor Christopher Waller said he'd support rate cuts in the event aggressive tariff levels hurt the jobs market, speaking in an interview on Bloomberg Television. Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack says the central bank could move on rates as early as June if it has clear evidence of the economy's direction. We dissect the latest Fed speak with Steven Schoenfeld, CEO at MarketVector Indexes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asian stocks traded in a tight range Thursday as a global relief rally started to give up momentum after mixed signals from the Trump administration on its plans for China tariffs. A regional gauge of stocks swung between small gains and losses as market enthusiasm got curbed after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cast doubt on a timely resolution to the US-China trade war. That trimmed the S&P 500's gain Wednesday to 1.7%. The yen reversed two days of losses and the dollar weakened in early Asian trade. Gold jumped 1.4% in increased demand for the traditional safe-haven asset. Global equities and long-dated Treasuries rose on Wednesday on signs US President Donald Trump is rethinking the most-aggressive elements of his stances on trade and the Federal Reserve. We get reaction to the day's headlines from Mark Cranfield, Bloomberg MLIV Strategist in Singapore. Plus - SK Hynix reported a 158% jump in March-quarter operating income, driven in part by stockpiling ahead of US tariffs, and maintained its forecast for a doubling in demand for high-bandwidth memory. The company warned of increased volatility in the second half of 2025 due to uncertainty surrounding US tariffs, despite resilient demand for AI memory chips from big tech providers. We hear from SK Kim, Executive Director at Daiwa Securities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stocks jumped and the dollar rose after President Donald Trump said he had no intention of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell while optimism grew that trade tensions may be easing. Trump's comments on the Fed chief late Tuesday in Washington walk back opinions expressed earlier in the week that sparked concerns about the US central bank's independence. Progress in various trade talks also helped improve market sentiment after investors had broadly retreated from US assets this month following the announcement of century-high levies. We break down the themes driving volatility with Ecaterina Bigos, CIO for Asia ex-Japan Core Investments at AXA Investment Managers. Plus - US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a closed-door investor summit Tuesday that the tariff standoff with China cannot be sustained by both sides and that the world's two largest economies will have to find ways to de-escalate. That de-escalation will come in the very near future, Bessent said during an event hosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Washington, which wasn't open to the public or media. He characterized the current situation as essentially a trade embargo, according to people who attended the session. We talk tariffs and trade policy with Tom Bruce, Macro Investment Strategist at Tanglewood Total Wealth Management. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.