
US stocks surged on Monday, bouncing back from Friday’s rout after President Trump played down the escalating US trade standoff with China, saying it “will all be fine!”
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) jumped 1%, or over 400 points. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) gained nearly 1.1% and 1.5%, respectively, coming off their worst day since April.
Stocks are set to recoup some of Friday’s hefty losses after Trump dialed back his threat from Friday to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods from Nov. 1. That move reignited fears of a full-on US-China trade war and triggered a Wall Street selloff that erased roughly $2 trillion in US stocks’ value.
“Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine! Highly respected President Xi just had a bad moment,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. “He doesn’t want Depression for his country, and neither do I. The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it.”
While Trump’s comments aimed to calm jitters, they also kept up the pressure on Beijing to unwind its recent tightening in trade curbs by stressing the potential for economic damage. Meanwhile, China’s export growth topped forecasts in September, as it strengthened trade with countries other than the US.
Beyond trade headlines, AI demand optimism was boosted by OpenAI’s partnership with Broadcom (AVGO), the latest in a string of AI deals. Broadcom shares jumped 6%.
Meanwhile, Wall Street is bracing for uncertainty in coming days as the US government shutdown stretches into its second full week. The consumer inflation report due on Wednesday has had its release pushed back to Oct. 24.
Other scheduled data ranging from retail sales to wholesale inflation is likely to be delayed, leaving the market and the Federal Reserve flying blind on the US economic landscape. That turns the spotlight on Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech on Tuesday, covering the economic outlook and monetary policy.
At the same time, earnings season kicks off with results from the biggest Wall Street banks. JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Citigroup (C) are set to report on Tuesday, followed by Bank of America (BAC), and Morgan Stanley (MS) on Wednesday. Analysts expect profits at the six major banks to climb 6% from the third quarter of last year, according to Bloomberg data.
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