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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