Asian stocks made a modest gain at the open Friday as a global equity rally gained fresh vigor on strong economic data that eased concerns about the US economy. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.2% at the open. Equity-index futures for US gained after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 set closing highs Thursday. Tech stocks rose as a bullish outlook from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. bolstered confidence in artificial-intelligence spending. Netflix Inc. also reported strong earnings and raised its forecast. We get market insights from Brian Vendig, Chief Investment Officer at MJP Wealth Advisors.

Plus - Japan's key price measure cooled a tad more than expected while remaining well above the Bank of Japan's target, keeping pressure on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to mollify voters as he heads into Sunday's national election. Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.3% from a year earlier in June, slowing from a 3.7% gain - a two-year high - in the previous month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported Friday. We get reaction from former BOJ board member Sayuri Shirai, now Professor of Economics at Keio University. She speaks with Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts on The Asia Trade.

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Asian stocks struggled for direction at the open after US markets had a volatile session amid speculation about the future of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. In tariff news, President Trump dialed down his confrontational tone with China in an effort to secure a summit with counterpart Xi Jinping and a trade deal. Trump also said he would send letters to more than 150 countries notifying them of tariff rates and that the levies imposed could be 10% or 15%. We unpack how trade policy is resonating in APAC markets with Ecaterina Bigos, CIO for Asia ex-Japan Core Investments at AXA Investment Managers.

Plus - the S&P 500 bounced as President Trump said he is "not planning" to remove Powell, after a White House official said the president was likely to seek the Fed Chair's ouster soon. Treasury two-year yields, which are more sensitive to imminent Fed moves, slid five basis points to 3.89%. The dollar halted a four-day advance. Softer-than-estimated inflation data also helped fuel the moves on Wednesday, reinforcing bets on Fed rate cuts in 2025. We get reaction to the day's market action from Rich Mullen, Founding Partner and CEO at Pallas Capital Advisors.

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President Donald Trump is likely to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell soon, a White House official said, and discussed the possible move in a meeting with congressional Republicans on Tuesday night.   

While the lawmakers voiced support for the move, which would likely roil financial markets and lead to a consequential legal showdown, Trump has not made a final decision and could change his mind, according to the official who requested anonymity to discuss a private conversation.   

In response to multiple similar reports, President Trump says his administration is “very concerned”, but “not planning on doing anything” about Fed Chair Jerome Powell.   

Paul Sweeney and Lisa Mateo speak with Bloomberg's Chris Condon about the potential fallout.

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Asian stocks moved lower in the early Wednesday session after relatively tame inflation data failed to ease Wall Street's worries about the impacts of tariffs, with initial rallies in US stocks and bonds sputtering on bets the Federal Reserve will keep rates on hold for now. The S&P 500 retreated after earlier topping 6,300. A gauge of US financial giants sank as Wells Fargo & Co. cut its guidance for net interest income. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped even as investment bankers eked out a surprise gain. Citigroup Inc. hit the highest since 2008 on a stock-buyback plan. While short-dated Treasuries led losses, longer maturities also slid - with 30-year yields topping 5%. We get reaction to the day's market action from Chuck Cumello, President and Chief Executive Officer at Essex Financial Services.

Plus - Nvidia said late Monday that it received assurances that the US government would allow it to export some chips to China. Advanced Micro Devices, Nvidia's chief rival, quickly followed with a similar announcement. These export license approvals could generate billions of dollars in total revenue for the companies this year — and they mark a dramatic reversal after the Trump administration said the issue wasn't even up for debate. We take a closer look at what it means for the chip sector with Ray Wang, Research Director for Semiconductors, Supply Chain, & Emerging Tech at The Futurum Group. He speaks with Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Paul Allen on The Asia Trade.

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Asian equities are poised for a positive open as traders brush off President Donald Trump's latest tariff threats as bargaining tactics that are unlikely to derail global trade. Stock-index futures for Japan, Hong Kong and Australia pointed to a higher open in early Asian trading. The S&P 500 eked out a gain Monday as Trump indicated he's open to trade talks, though still insisted his new tariff rates are "the deals." Contracts for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq edged lower and Bitcoin retreated from its record high. We get some market perspective from Carol Schleif, Chief Market Strategist at BMO Private Wealth.

Plus - Mizuho Financial Group CEO Masahiro Kihara is signaling that he is confident the Japanese lender can meet its long-term target of about ¥1 trillion - or $6.8 billion - in annual profit even as trade wars threaten to stifle growth. He speaks with Bloomberg's Francine Lacqua in London.

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President Trump’s latest tariff threats are testing the market’s resilience after the US leader ratcheted up trade measures on everyone from Canada to Brazil to Algeria last week. Despite warnings of complacency, investors have so far behaved as if they’re counting on the president to back down, having seen previous U-turns from his administration. Meantime, the second quarter earnings season is also due to begin this week, with Wall Street expecting the weakest reporting season since mid-2023. We speak to Roderick von Lipsey, managing director, UBS Private Wealth Management.

Plus - for more insight on President Trump's latest tariff moves and a look at the week ahead in Asia, we speak to Mary Nicola, Bloomberg MLIV Strategist in Singapore.

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Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Tom Busby takes a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

• In the US – a look ahead to U.S CPI and PPI data, along with Netflix earnings.
• In the UK – a look ahead to a speech from UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
• In Asia – a look at several key data points for the Japanese economy.

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The story of US tariffs has dominated much of the conversation for markets. Earlier today, stocks advanced Thursday in a sign investors are shifting their focus from concerns about lower growth and higher inflation from tariffs to instead prepare for corporate earnings season, which starts in a few days. We speak to Keith Buchanan, Senior Portfolio Manager at Globalt Investments.

Also - contracts for the S&P 500, which gained early in Asian trading, dipped 0.2% after Trump said he plans to impose ‘blanket’ tariffs of 15% or 20%. We get insight from Nadia Grant, Head of Global Equity at BNP Paribas Asset Management.

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Bitcoin surged past $112,000 for the first time, setting a fresh record alongside a broad rally in risk assets that has swept up technology stocks big and small. The original cryptocurrency rose as much as 3.1% to $112,009, pushing its gain this year close to 20%. The move underscores the speculative momentum gripping markets even as President Donald Trump unleashes a fresh barrage of tariff announcements. The crypto rally is far from isolated: Nvidia Corp.’s brush with a $4 trillion valuation in Wednesday trading helped push the S&P 500 within a whisker of its record, with fast-money investors joining the stock-market fray. We speak to Matthew Tuttle, CEO & CIO at Tuttle Capital Management.

Also - President Trump’s threat to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods sent the country’s currency plunging as the US leader sharply escalated a dispute with Latin America’s largest nation and leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In a letter posted to his social media account, Trump cited Jair Bolsonaro — the right-wing former president and Lula rival who is facing a trial on charges that he attempted a coup following his 2022 election defeat. For more insight, we heard from Deborah Elms, Head of trade policy at Hinrich Foundation.

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President Donald Trump vowed to push forward with his aggressive tariff regime in the coming days, stressing he would not offer additional extensions on country-specific levies set to now hit in early August while indicating he could announce substantial new rates on imports of copper and pharmaceuticals. The posturing on social media and at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday came after traders initially shrugged off a series of letters and executive actions Trump issued Monday, pushing back the deadline for his so-called “reciprocal” tariffs while announcing the latest rates he planned for more than a dozen countries that had not succeeded in brokering quick trade agreements. For more  the market outlook, we speak to Frances Stacey, Economic Strategist at Scarlet Oak Financial.

Plus - Stephen Olson, Yusof Ishak Institute Senior Visiting Fellow and Former US Trade Negotiator gives us insight on where President Trump is going with his latest tariff announcement.

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