All eyes on US-Japan trade talks as Nvidia CEO visits Beijing

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On Thursday, all eyes were on the trade negotiations that began between the US administration and Japan. President Trump had previously touted "big progress" in tariff talks, but Japan's Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato expressed concerns over the global economic fallout from tariffs. He warned that the market volatility could potentially disrupt Japan's economic recovery.

📅 Pre-Market Earnings Report for April 17, 2025 : UNH, AXP, TSM, SCHW, MMC, BX, TFC, DHI, STT, FITB, HBAN, SNA: XP, TSM, SCHW, MMC, BX, TFC, DHI, STT, FITB, HBAN, SNA: The following companies are expected to report earnings prior to market open on 04/17/2025. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2025. The hmo company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 12 analysts that follow the stock is $7.27. This value represents a 5.21% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year UNH has beat the expectations every quarter. NASDAQ reports.

🎬 Netflix earnings: Wall Street high on stock as 'defensive choice' while Big Tech reels from Trump's tariffs: Netflix is set to report first quarter earnings after the bell on Thursday with the company sitting as one of the best-positioned Big Tech names amid an uncertain economic environment dominated by President Trump's trade war. Yahoo Finance reports.

💻 Taiwan Semiconductor says tariffs haven’t changed customer behavior as profit booms 60%: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the contract microchip manufacturer for Nvidia, Apple and AMD, said it hasn’t seen a change in customer behavior after a quarter in which surging artificial-intelligence demand saw its profit surge by 60%. The company said its profit jumped 60% to NT$361.56 billion ($11 billion), as revenue jumped 42% to NT$839 billion. MarketWatch reports.

🏦 Powell warns Fed could face rising inflation and weaker labor market, will wait on rate cuts: The Federal Reserve could face the “challenging scenario” of rising inflation at the same time the U.S. labor market is weakening, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday. Congress has given the Fed two goals: stable inflation and low unemployment. But since 2021, the Fed has only faced one of those concerns, combatting higher inflation as the labor market has been solid. MarketWatch reports.

📈 US stock futures bounce back after selloff with Japan trade talks in focus: U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday, as investors cautiously welcomed tariff talks between the U.S. and Japan on the final trading day of the week, recovering some ground after sharp losses in the previous session. Reuters reports.

📊 Hertz surges after Ackman’s Pershing square discloses stake: Hertz Global Holdings shares had their biggest gain ever after CNBC reported that Pershing Square Capital Management had amassed a position of almost 20% in the beleaguered car rental company. Yahoo Finance reports.

(All pricing and percent gains are based on Early Pre-Market from 4:00 AM to 7:00 AM Eastern Time)
Benzinga reports.

1) $RTC: Baijiayun Group
Total gain: +76.55%

2) $SMX: SMX (Security Matters)
Total gain: +58.9%

3) $STSS: Sharps Technology
Total gain: +45.66%

4) $GPCR: Structure Therapeutics
Total gain: +34.91%

5) $GAIA: Gaia
Total gain: +29.61%

*Estimate and Actual numbers represent Earnings Per Share in US Dollars

AXP: American Express
1Q 2025
Before Market Open
Estimate: 3.470
Actual: 3.640

BX: Blackstone
1Q 2025
Before Market Open
Estimate: 1.060
Actual: 1.090

UNH: UnitedHealth Group
1Q 202
Before Market Open
Estimate: 7.290
Actual: 7.200

Time (ET) / Report / Period

8:30 am - Initial jobless claims - April 12
8:30 am - Housing starts - March

“Over the long term, following a sound investment strategy works much better than relying on luck.”
– Joel Greenblatt

Sourced in: “The Little Book That Still Beats the Market”, by Joel Greenblatt, published in 2010.