Alibaba Adds $123 Billion in Value in Stunning Comeback Rally
It's been Alibaba's day, week and month. The company has added $123 billion in market value in February, helped by a DeepSeek-driven rally in Chinese tech stocks, its tie-up with Apple to roll out AI features in China and Beijing's rehabilitation of co-founder Jack Ma. Its shares rose 15% in Hong Kong on Friday alone after Alibaba reported higher sales and said it will boost spending on AI over the next three years. The surge comes after the company was earlier hammered by a government crackdown on the tech industry and a post-Covid slump in its business. Even after jumping almost 60% this month, Alibaba shares are still down by more than half from their 2020 peak, meaning there's still plenty of room for the rally to continue. —Richard Frost
Standard Chartered will hand back $1.5 billion more to shareholders as it reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat estimates, boosted by a strong performance in its trading and wealth business. The London-headquartered bank announced a fresh buyback which would bring total shareholder distributions to $4.9 billion since 2023. The bank is in the midst of a corporate cost-saving program. CEO Bill Winters saw his total pay package jump 46% to £10.7 million ($13.6 million).
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Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump tariffs live updates: US, China agree on plan to ease trade tensions as US appeals court allows tariffs to remain in effect
The US and China agreed to a framework and implementation plan to ease trade tensions on Tuesday. 'We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus,' US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. The commerce secretary indicated the deal should resolve issues between the two countries on rare earths and magnets. Representatives will now take the proposal to their respective leaders for approval. The progress comes after two days of trade talks between the US and China in London. The high-stakes negotiations follow Trump's call with Xi Jinping last week, which both leaders framed as positive. Tensions between the two countries had been rising since they reached a temporary truce in mid-May in Geneva. Both countries accused the other of breaching the agreement while ratcheting up pressure on other issues. Meanwhile, though Trump's most sweeping tariffs continue to face legal uncertainty, on Tuesday, the president received a favorable update. A federal appeals court held a decision saying his tariffs can temporarily stay in effect. The US Court of International Trade had blocked their implementation last month, deeming the method used to enact them "unlawful." Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet The latest twists and turns in Trump's trade policy come as the president pushes countries to speed up negotiations. The US sent a letter to partners as a "friendly reminder" that Trump's self-imposed 90-day pause on sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs is set to expire in early July. White House advisers have for weeks promised trade deals in the "not-too-distant future," with the only announced agreement so far coming with the United Kingdom. US and Indian officials held trade talks this week and agreed to extend those discussions on Monday and Tuesday ahead of the July 9 deadline. New tariffs are coming into play: Effective Wednesday, June 4, Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%. Here are the latest updates as the policy reverberates around the world. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Rick Newman reports: Read more here. US-China talks stretched on Tuesday, and they may continue into Wednesday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters outside of Lancaster House in London, where delegations from both countries are meeting. "I think the talks are going really, really well," Lutnick said. "We're very much spending time and effort and energy — everybody's got their head down working closely." "I hope they end this evening," he added, "but if they need be, we'll be here tomorrow." The teams from China and the US, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, have been holding negotiations since Monday. The London summit followed a phone call between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Stocks rose to near session highs following Lutnick's comments on an otherwise fairly muted day in markets. Read more here. From Reuters: Read more here. Banking fees and trading revenue for one of the world's largest investment banks is expected to climb this quarter despite the concerns that surround US tariffs, Citigroup's (C) head of banking Vis Raghavan said on Tuesday. Raghaven added, that M&A activity continues to be active but the IPO market has been "stagnant." Reuters reports: Read more here. The World Bank cut its global growth forecast for 2025 on Tuesday by 0.4 percentage point to 2.3%. The international financial institution, which provides loans to governments said that high tariffs and uncertainty were a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. Reuters reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Alexis Keenan reports: Read more here. On Tuesday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said trade negotiations with China were going well, as the two sides met in London for a second day of talks. Reuters reports: Read more here. The CEO of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX), North America's top producer of copper has warned that tariffs could hurt an industry that President Trump is trying to help. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Maruti Suzuki has cut near-term production targets for its maiden electric vehicle e-Vitara by two-thirds because of rare earths shortages, a document showed, in the latest sign of disruption to the auto industry from China's export curbs. India's top carmaker, which said on Monday it had not seen any impact yet from the supply crisis, now plans to make about 8,200 e-Vitaras between April and September, versus an original goal of 26,500, according to a company document seen by Reuters. It cited "supply constraints" in rare earth materials that are vital in making magnets and other components across a range of hi-tech industries. Read more here. Both the US and China are finding new tools to use as bargaining chips within trade negotiations. Here's an example of just some of them: Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. The de-escalation in trade tensions likely contributed to an improvement in US small-business confidence in May. However, uncertainty remained due to the overall economic outlook. Reuters reports: Read more here. Chinese stocks fell on Tuesday ahead of the second day of trade negotiations between the US and China. Investors are cautious as the two biggest economies seek to resolve some contentious issues. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. As US-China trade negotiations resume in London on Tuesday, both sides are eager to rebuild the truce established in May. While, the US has tightened controls on AI chip exports, China may be holding the most valuable card in these talks. CNN reports: Read more here. Advertising firm, WPP said on Tuesday that global advertising revenue is expected to grow 6% this year, lowering its earlier target of 7.7% due to the uncertainty surrounding US trade policies. Reuters reports: Read more here. Bloomberg reported that trade talks between the US and China will resume tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in London after six hours of negotiations on Monday. US officials were looking for a "handshake" on Monday, National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told CNBC, as the two sides look to ease tensions over tech and rare earths. President Trump weighed in on the progress, telling reporters on Monday: "We are doing well with China. China's not easy. ... I'm only getting good reports.' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, said it was "good meeting" and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called the talks "fruitful," sending an upbeat signal on the talks' progress. The Chinese delegation, led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, did not comment on the talks. From Bloomberg: Read more here. The number of ocean containers from China bound for the US fell precipitously in May when President Trump's 145% tariffs on Chinese goods were in effect. Supply chain technology company Descartes said Monday that seaborne imports from China to the US dropped 28.5% year over year, the sharpest decline since the pandemic, per Reuters. Overall, US seaborne imports fell 7.2% annually in May to 2.18 million 20-foot equivalent units. The decline snaps a streak of increases fueled by companies frontloading goods to avoid higher duties, which has kept US seaports, such as the Port of Long Beach, busy. "The effects of U.S. policy shifts with China are now clearly visible in monthly trade flows," Descartes said in a statement. Read more here. In today's Chart of the Day, Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer writes that tariff headlines have been rattling markets to a lesser degree than they did in April, despite an escalation of trade tensions recently: Sign up for the Morning Brief newsletter to get the Chart of the Day in your inbox. US import costs of steel and aluminum are expected to rise by more than $100 billion after President Trump doubled tariffs on the metals to 50% this week. That is expected to impact automakers such as Ford (F), as well as importers for a variety of goods, from baseball bats to aircraft parts. The Financial Times reports: Read more here. Tariffs have brought challenges for many, but Century Aluminum (CENX) and top recycler Matalco stand to benefit from President Trump's metal import duties as domestic prices rise. Reuters reports: Read more here. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Rick Newman reports: Read more here. US-China talks stretched on Tuesday, and they may continue into Wednesday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters outside of Lancaster House in London, where delegations from both countries are meeting. "I think the talks are going really, really well," Lutnick said. "We're very much spending time and effort and energy — everybody's got their head down working closely." "I hope they end this evening," he added, "but if they need be, we'll be here tomorrow." The teams from China and the US, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, have been holding negotiations since Monday. The London summit followed a phone call between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Stocks rose to near session highs following Lutnick's comments on an otherwise fairly muted day in markets. Read more here. From Reuters: Read more here. Banking fees and trading revenue for one of the world's largest investment banks is expected to climb this quarter despite the concerns that surround US tariffs, Citigroup's (C) head of banking Vis Raghavan said on Tuesday. Raghaven added, that M&A activity continues to be active but the IPO market has been "stagnant." Reuters reports: Read more here. The World Bank cut its global growth forecast for 2025 on Tuesday by 0.4 percentage point to 2.3%. The international financial institution, which provides loans to governments said that high tariffs and uncertainty were a "significant headwind" for nearly all economies. Reuters reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Alexis Keenan reports: Read more here. On Tuesday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said trade negotiations with China were going well, as the two sides met in London for a second day of talks. Reuters reports: Read more here. The CEO of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX), North America's top producer of copper has warned that tariffs could hurt an industry that President Trump is trying to help. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Maruti Suzuki has cut near-term production targets for its maiden electric vehicle e-Vitara by two-thirds because of rare earths shortages, a document showed, in the latest sign of disruption to the auto industry from China's export curbs. India's top carmaker, which said on Monday it had not seen any impact yet from the supply crisis, now plans to make about 8,200 e-Vitaras between April and September, versus an original goal of 26,500, according to a company document seen by Reuters. It cited "supply constraints" in rare earth materials that are vital in making magnets and other components across a range of hi-tech industries. Read more here. Both the US and China are finding new tools to use as bargaining chips within trade negotiations. Here's an example of just some of them: Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. The de-escalation in trade tensions likely contributed to an improvement in US small-business confidence in May. However, uncertainty remained due to the overall economic outlook. Reuters reports: Read more here. Chinese stocks fell on Tuesday ahead of the second day of trade negotiations between the US and China. Investors are cautious as the two biggest economies seek to resolve some contentious issues. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. As US-China trade negotiations resume in London on Tuesday, both sides are eager to rebuild the truce established in May. While, the US has tightened controls on AI chip exports, China may be holding the most valuable card in these talks. CNN reports: Read more here. Advertising firm, WPP said on Tuesday that global advertising revenue is expected to grow 6% this year, lowering its earlier target of 7.7% due to the uncertainty surrounding US trade policies. Reuters reports: Read more here. Bloomberg reported that trade talks between the US and China will resume tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. in London after six hours of negotiations on Monday. US officials were looking for a "handshake" on Monday, National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told CNBC, as the two sides look to ease tensions over tech and rare earths. President Trump weighed in on the progress, telling reporters on Monday: "We are doing well with China. China's not easy. ... I'm only getting good reports.' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, said it was "good meeting" and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called the talks "fruitful," sending an upbeat signal on the talks' progress. The Chinese delegation, led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, did not comment on the talks. From Bloomberg: Read more here. The number of ocean containers from China bound for the US fell precipitously in May when President Trump's 145% tariffs on Chinese goods were in effect. Supply chain technology company Descartes said Monday that seaborne imports from China to the US dropped 28.5% year over year, the sharpest decline since the pandemic, per Reuters. Overall, US seaborne imports fell 7.2% annually in May to 2.18 million 20-foot equivalent units. The decline snaps a streak of increases fueled by companies frontloading goods to avoid higher duties, which has kept US seaports, such as the Port of Long Beach, busy. "The effects of U.S. policy shifts with China are now clearly visible in monthly trade flows," Descartes said in a statement. Read more here. In today's Chart of the Day, Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer writes that tariff headlines have been rattling markets to a lesser degree than they did in April, despite an escalation of trade tensions recently: Sign up for the Morning Brief newsletter to get the Chart of the Day in your inbox. US import costs of steel and aluminum are expected to rise by more than $100 billion after President Trump doubled tariffs on the metals to 50% this week. That is expected to impact automakers such as Ford (F), as well as importers for a variety of goods, from baseball bats to aircraft parts. The Financial Times reports: Read more here. Tariffs have brought challenges for many, but Century Aluminum (CENX) and top recycler Matalco stand to benefit from President Trump's metal import duties as domestic prices rise. Reuters reports: Read more here.
CNBC
30 minutes ago
- CNBC
European markets head for negative open, shrugging off China-U.S. trade talks progress
Skyline view of the City of London financial district from the viewpoint in Greenwich Park in London, United Kingdom. Mike Kemp | In Pictures | Getty Images Good morning from London, welcome to CNBC's live blog covering European financial market action as well as the latest regional and global business news, data and earnings. Futures data from IG suggests London's FTSE will open 14 points lower at 8,852, Germany's DAX down 105 points at 23,925, France's CAC 40 down 9 points at 7,788 and Italy's FTSE MIB 95 points lower at 40,082. Global markets are having a mixed reaction to news that U.S. and Chinese officials reached a tentative consensus on trade after a second day of talks in London. The negotiators will now seek approval on the framework from the U.S. and Chinese presidents. Asia-Pacific markets climbed overnight on the apparent breakthrough, but U.S. stock futures inched lower, with investors also looking ahead to May inflation data. — Holly Ellyatt An Aldi supermarket in Alhambra, California, in 2024. Eric Thayer | Bloomberg | Getty Images Global markets will be keeping a close eye on the latest U.S. inflation report for May. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect a 0.2% month-over-month increase, while the headline consumer price index is anticipated to have grown 2.4% on an annual basis. Hotter-than-expected data could spook investors who are already on edge over inflationary pressures and the trajectory of Federal Reserve rate cuts. Traders will be keeping an eye on the Nvidia keynote address at the VivaTech conference in Paris on Wednesday, as well as Goldman Sachs' annual European Financials Conference. Meanwhile, U.K. investors will be looking out for the government's "Spending Review," in which it sets out day-to-day spending and investment plans for all government departments. Earnings are set to come from retail giant Inditex . — Holly Ellyatt
Boston Globe
38 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
First signs of tariffs' impact on inflation could appear in Wednesday's consumer prices report
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up On a monthly basis, prices are expected to have moved up 0.2% from April to May, while core prices are forecast to have increased 0.3%. At that pace, core prices would rise much faster than the Federal Reserve's 2% target. Economists and the inflation-fighters at the Fed focus on core inflation because it often provides a better sense of where inflation is headed. Advertisement Inflation has cooled in the past year and, excluding the impact of tariffs, economists say it would be on track to return to the Fed's target, which would allow the central bank to cut its key interest rates. Yet core prices have been more stubborn and were stuck between 3.2% and 3.4% for nearly a year until February, when they started to decline a bit. Advertisement Last week, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles the inflation data, said it is reducing the amount of data it collects for each inflation report. Economists have expressed concern about the cutback, and while it isn't clear how sharp the reduction is, most analysts say it is likely to have a minor impact. Still, any reduction in data collection could make the figures more volatile. Nearly all economists expect Trump's duties will make many things more expensive in the second half of this year, including cars and groceries, though by how much is still uncertain. Trump has slapped 30% tariffs on all imports from China, plus a 10% baseline tariff on imported goods from every other country, and 50% import taxes on steel and aluminum. Given the potential for higher prices in the coming months, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed officials have made clear they will keep their key rate unchanged until they have a better sense of how tariffs will affect the economy. The full impact of the tariffs likely won't be felt until the second half of the year, analysts say, even though many tariffs have been in place, in one form or another, since March and April. There are several reasons it can take months for the duties to fully pass through into retail prices. To begin with, many companies tried to beat the clock by bringing in foreign goods before Trump's tariffs took effect, producing a flood of imports in March. As a result, they have stockpiled goods in warehouses that weren't hit by tariffs and so don't have to raise prices yet. Advertisement Many companies also held off on hiking prices during the chaos of April and May, when Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from nearly 60 countries, only to put them on hold a week later. He also ramped up duties on China to 145%, essentially cutting off trade with the United States' third-largest trading partner. Imports fell sharply in April as a result. The U.S. and China last month agreed to lower duties, with the U.S. now taxing Chinese imports 30%. For many firms, it wasn't worth it to raise prices until they had a better sense of where tariffs would settle. It's possible some duties could fall further if the Trump administration is able to reach trade deals in negotiations with China, the European Union, Japan and other countries. Still, Bryan Eshelman, a partner and managing director at consulting firm AlixPartners, said higher prices 'are coming.' Eshelman expects that shoppers will start feeling the impact in July, and predicts prices for back-to-school items like clothing and backpacks could go up anywhere from 5% to 15%. Retailers may add surcharges tied to higher tariffs costs at the cash register starting in September, he said. 'I think that that's something that retailers are going to be loathe to pull out and do. And so I think they will wait to see how things unfold, ' he said. Most imported goods are actually parts or raw materials for larger products, such as the steel and aluminum goods now facing 50% duties. It will take time for those costs to filter through the supply chain and affect prices. Advertisement Some stores, however, have already said they will implement higher prices, including Best Buy, Walmart and Lululemon. It was only last month when Trump ripped into Walmart after the nation's largest retailer boldly warned that prices are already starting to go up on items like bananas. Walmart's chief financial officer John David Rainey told The Associated Press that a car seat that currently sells for $350 at Walmart will likely cost customers another $100. Rainey also told analysts at an Oppenheimer investor conference on Monday that for some items, Walmart will reduce inventory by as much as 20% because it expects higher prices will reduce demand, and it doesn't want to be stuck with leftover inventory.
