Stock futures jumped early Monday on reports President Donald Trump was planning on holding back some of the tariffs initially planned for April 2, raising hopes the U.S. won’t plunge the globe into an all-out trade war. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 411 points, or 1%, with gains increasing steadily as the NYSE open approached. S&P 500 futures added 1.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were 1.6% higher. Shares of Tesla, which have fallen nine straight weeks, were up 3.6% in premarket trading Monday. Meta shares added 3%, while Nvidia shares rose nearly 2%. Investors remain jittery as Trump’s April 2 start date for reciprocal tariffs approaches. Trump has said the tariffs are aimed at any country that imposes duties on U.S. imports. But the Wall Street Journal reported the tariffs are expected to be more narrow in scope and will likely exclude some industry-specific duties, citing an administration official. Trump will also exclude some nations from the tariffs, Bloomberg News reported. Both the WSJ and Bloomberg News reports noted that the situation remains fluid and the plans could change. Trump seemingly lowered the temperature for investors on Friday after he told reporters that there could potentially be “flexibility” for his reciprocal tariff plan. That helped push major averages into the green for the session. “Omitting the sectoral tariffs from the April 2nd package significantly reduces both its aggregate scale and the maximum rate on targeted sectors, given that all of Trump’s tariffs to date have been designed to stack,” stated Tobin Marcus of Wolfe Research in a note. “The ceiling for reciprocal tariffs on April 2 remains dramatic, and we still expect a negative market reaction, but the scale won’t be as severe and the sectoral impacts won’t be as concentrated.” The pending duties and Trump’s overall rhetoric on U.S. trade policy have raised fears among investors that the U.S. economy could be on shaky footing. Those concerns were exacerbated by weakening consumer sentiment data. Stocks rapidly fell starting in late February with the S&P 500, at one point, closing in correction territory. However, investors received some encouraging words from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who last week said that any potential negative impacts from Trump’s tariffs will likely be short-lived. On the data front this week, investors will receive a consumer confidence reading on Tuesday, followed by initial weekly jobless claims figures on Thursday. Stocks are coming off of a much-needed winning week, which saw the S&P 500 end Friday in the green and avoid four-straight weekly losses. After last week’s small gain, the S&P 500 sits 7.8% off its record high. The Nasdaq Composite also snapped a four-week losing streak last week with a small gain and sits 12% off its record high. U.S. Treasury yields were higher on Monday on reports President Donald Trump was backing off an all-out trade war, raising hope the U.S. economy could keep its expansion going. The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield rose more than six basis points to 4.317%, and the 2-year Treasury yield was also nearly six basis points higher at 4.007%. Asia-Pacific markets are mostly higher Monday as U.S. President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff deadline looms. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.07% to close at 7,936.9. South Korea’s Kospi was down 0.42% to close at 2,632.07 while the small-cap Kosdaq added 0.11% to close at 720.22 after South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s impeachment was struck down by the country’s Constitutional Court. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.18% to close the trading day at 37,608.49 while the Topix lost 0.47% to close at 2,790.88. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index advanced 0.91% to close at 23,905.56 and mainland China’s CSI 300 rose 0.51% to close at 3,934.85 after China’s Premier Li Qiang cautioned “rising instability” and called for countries to open up markets and enterprises. Oil prices held steady on Monday as investors assessed the outlook for ceasefire talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, which could lead to an increase in Russian oil to global markets. Brent crude futures were down 8 cents, or 0.1%, at $72.08 a barrel by 0046 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 5 cents, or 0.1%, to $68.23. Both benchmarks settled higher on Friday and recorded a second consecutive weekly gain as fresh U.S. sanctions on Iran and the latest output plan from the OPEC+ producer group raised expectations of tighter supply. Gold prices were steady on Monday, underpinned by a weaker U.S. dollar and uncertainty around U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff plans. Spot gold was at $3,024.39 an ounce. U.S. gold futures edged 0.3% higher to $3,029.50. “A modestly weaker dollar is probably giving gold a little bit of a tailwind at present,” said Ross Norman, an independent analyst. The U.S. dollar was down 0.1% against a basket of other major currencies (.DXY), on Monday, but around 3.4% lower so far this month, making gold less expensive for foreign buyers.
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