Today's Edition
LONDON (AFP)
Global stock markets went in different directions on Tuesday, as an uptick in US inflation suggested President Donald Trump's tariffs could be beginning to feed into the American economy.
New York was generally trading higher on the back of healthy results from major US banks and buoyant news in the tech sector.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were up, though the Dow Jones was struggling.
Most Asian indices rose but Europe's stock markets slipped into the red late in the day.
The US consumer price index for June showed an acceleration to 2.7 percent from a year earlier, in line with economists' forecasts.
While US inflation remained relatively tame, analysts said businesses were working through stockpiles amassed in anticipation of Trump's duties and further price rises could be expected later this year.
Since April, the United States has imposed a baseline 10-percent tariff on goods imported from almost all trading partners, with steeper levies on steel, aluminium and cars.
Trump has threatened 30-percent tariffs on European Union and Mexican goods from August 1 if they do not cut trade deals.
The US Federal Reserve, which has an inflation target of two percent, could cut rates in September -- but not if the tariffs also end up putting a brake on US economic growth.
China, which has negotiated a US tariff truce, issued economic growth data that met expectations, largely thanks to an April-June export surge to get ahead of Trump's levies.
But the US president on Monday warned of new tariffs of up to 100 percent on Russia's trading partners -- which include China -- if Moscow does not end its war on Ukraine within 50 days.
Even though Russia is a major crude producer, oil prices dropped after Trump's announcement and continued lower on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, OPEC said in its latest monthly market report it expected its production forecasts for this year and next to hold, despite uncertainties generated by the US tariffs.
It forecast that oil demand would rise by 1.3 million barrels in 2025 and again in 2026.
"Continued robust global economic growth is expected... despite ongoing US-centred trade challenges and geopolitical uncertainties," it said.
In corporate news, US banks JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo posted better-than-expected second-quarter results.
JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon described the US economy as "resilient" while facing "significant risks", including over tariffs uncertainty.
And tech darling Nvidia's share price jumped after it said US export restrictions will be eased to allow it to sell its H20 artificial intelligence chips to China.
That gave fuel to the Nasdaq, which had closed on Monday on another record high.
Bitcoin slid on likely profit-taking, after having hit a record high above $123,200 on Monday, thanks to optimism over possible regulatory changes for crypto assets in the US.
