Stock Indexes Soar to Record Highs as Global Trade Tensions Ease

Economic Outlook - The FOMC is not releasing a Summary of Economic Projections this week, meaning no updates on interest rate forecasts from Fed officials [1] - The Fed is expected to cut the federal funds target range by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.00% and may halt its quantitative tightening regime [2] - Markets are anticipating a 90% chance of another 25 basis point rate cut at the next FOMC meeting on December 9-10, with an overall expectation of a 115 basis point cut by the end of 2026 [2] Market Performance - US stock indexes are reaching new all-time highs, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq 100 all climbing [4] - The S&P 500 Index is up by 0.32%, the Dow Jones by 0.40%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.47% [5] - Easing global trade tensions are contributing to stock gains, particularly following President Trump's comments on lowering tariffs on Chinese goods [4] Sector Performance - Semiconductor stocks are showing strength, led by a 4% increase in Nvidia, following news of potential access to Nvidia's AI processor for China [3][18] - Other chipmakers like Lam Research and Advanced Micro Devices are also seeing gains of over 3% [18] Trade Relations - A tentative trade agreement between the US and China is expected to be announced, which includes China agreeing not to restrict rare earth metal exports for at least one year [8] - The US and South Korea have finalized a trade deal involving $150 billion in shipbuilding investments in the US [4] Earnings Reports - This week is significant for earnings, with 173 S&P 500 companies reporting; 84% of those that have reported so far have beaten forecasts [9] - Notable companies reporting include Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon [9] - Q3 profits are expected to rise by 7.2% year-over-year, the smallest increase in two years [9] Company-Specific Movements - Teradyne's stock is up over 15% after reporting Q3 net revenue of $769.2 million, exceeding expectations [19] - Seagate Technology is also up more than 15% after reporting Q1 adjusted EPS of $2.61, above consensus [19] - Bloom Energy and Caterpillar are up more than 13% and 11% respectively, following strong earnings reports [20] Market Sentiment - The ongoing US government shutdown is impacting market sentiment, with estimates of 640,000 federal workers being furloughed [13] - The shutdown is delaying the release of key economic reports, which could affect market performance [13]