Wall St started the new trading week sharply lower as investors brace for the impact of Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada, of which come into effect on Tuesday US time. The Dow Jones fell 2.1%, the S&P500 lost 2.3% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq ended the day down a sharp 3.2%. Investor hopes of a last-minute deal to prevent the tariffs from going ahead were dashed in afternoon trade after President Trump reiterated the 25% levies on imports from Mexico and Canada will go ahead from Tuesday. Companies that face a direct hit from the tariffs tumbled yesterday including Ford and General Motors.

Over in Europe on Monday, markets closed higher as defence stocks continue to surge amid renewed spend in the sector. The STOXX 600 rose 1.1%, Germany’s DAX rose 2.6%, the French CAC added 1% and, in the UK, the FTSE 100 ended the day up 0.7%.

Across the Asia region on Monday, markets mostly rose as investors awaited clarity on Trump’s tariff plans. Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.7%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.44%, Taiwan’s Taiex index fell 1.3% and China’s CSI index closed down just 0.04%.

Locally on Monday the ASX started the new trading month in the green with the key index posting a 0.9% rise at the closing bell and all sectors ended the day higher led by Energy stocks rising 2.02%. The positive market sentiment comes ahead of a wave of tariff implications out of the US commencing this week which is set to shake up market returns and outlook, while we are also bracing locally for the latest slew of economic data with the GDP reading out later in the week. The energy rally on Monday was amid investor outlook for the price of oil to rise when tariffs on Mexico and Canada come into effect as they are two major exporters of crude.

Embattled casino operator Star Entertainment Group shares were suspended on Monday following a trading halt after the company failed to lodge accounts to the ASX for reporting season.

Medical imaging giant Pro Medicus jumped 3.2% on Monday after the company signed yet another deal to roll out its core imaging tools. The deal worth $40m is with US radiology provider LucidHealth and will see Pro Medicus devices and systems rolled out throughout the LucidHealth network.

What to watch today:

• Ahead of Tuesday’s trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 1.35% following Wall Street’s tumble overnight.
• On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 2.3% lower at US$68.16/barrel, gold is up 1.11% at US$2888.53/ounce and iron ore is down 0.21% at US$106.90/tonne.
• The Aussie dollar has weakened against the greenback to buy US$0.62, 92.84 Japanese Yen, 49.13 British Pence and NZ$1.11.

Trading Ideas:

• Bell Potter has maintained a buy rating on Harvey Norman (ASX:HVN) and have raised the 12-month price target on the home goods giant to $6.00/share following the release of 1H25 results including some key beats in the Australian franchising division and also in the NZ operations. Single digit earnings growth across most metrics was reported and the analyst increased the 12-month price target due to multiple catalysts near-mid-term such as improving sales trends and the growing AI movement.
• And Bell Potter has slightly increased the 12-month price target on Bub’s Australia (ASX:BUB) to 15.5cps and maintain a hold rating on the infant formula producer following the release of the company’s 1H25 results including net revenue growth of 24% to $48.5m, EBITDA of $0.5m compared to a loss of $6.8m in the PCP, and outlook for net revenue target for FY25 of $102m. The analyst sees Bub’s continues to make inroads into the US however remains cognisant of the potential impact of tariffs (if any).