S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico Market
European stocks began the first week of May on a cautious footing. The STOXX 50 slipped 0.2%, while the STOXX 600 hovered around flat, as traders returned from a long weekend to renewed tariff threats from US President Trump and continued uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East. Automakers led the declines after Trump announced plans to raise tariffs on European Union car and truck imports to 25%, up from 15%, effective this week. Shares in BMW (-1.9%), Mercedes-Benz (-1.4%), VW (-1.1%), Porsche (-1.0%), and Ferrari (-0.9%) all moved lower. In contrast, tech stocks were among the top performers, supported by ongoing optimism around AI. STMicroelectronics surged 4.3%, while Umicore jumped nearly 13%. Meanwhile, Trump stated that the US would begin escorting ships not involved in the Iran conflict through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday. However, a senior Iranian official warned that Tehran would view any US interference in the strait as a breach of the ceasefire.
