
โ๏ธ [Task Coins Giveaway] Daily Market Talk

Midday update: Trump just dropped a 25% tariff on EU autos and trucks effective next week โ risk-off freshly back on the menu. May 8 US Non-Farm Payrolls is the next data anchor, with markets positioning for a soft print to lock in Fed dovishness. Optical (Lumentum, Coherent), chip (AMD, Arm) and foundry (SMIC) heavyweights all report this week โ the AI-capex barometer reading. Tencent Cloud just raised AI compute prices 5%, the cleanest real-world signal yet that compute remains supply-constrained.
๐ฌ Today's 3 Big Questions
- Trump's 25% EU auto/truck tariffs kick in next week โ the heaviest trade-friction move of 2026. Singapore is mostly insulated from auto exposure, so do you LEAN INTO SG safe-haven assets (banks, S-REITs, the SGD)... or fade the rally because trade-war contagion eventually hits ASEAN exports too? Pick the trade.
- AI capex barometer week: Lumentum, Coherent, AMD, Arm, SMIC all report, with Tencent Cloud raising AI compute prices 5% as a real-world tightness signal. Is this the second wave of the AI capex super-cycle (overweight optical + foundry), or are these names already priced for perfection (fade into the prints)? Take a side.
- May 8 US NFP is the make-or-break data point of the week. A soft print locks in Powell-dovish-into-Warsh-handoff; a strong print resets the cut-curve. With UOB and OCBC also reporting May 7โ8, do you preposition into SG bank earnings (NIM+wealth) or wait for NFP first?
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โฐ Deadline: May 4, 2026, 11:59 PM (SGT)
๐ Quick Market Recap
๐ Global Macro & Markets
- Trump announced 25% tariffs on EU auto/truck imports effective next week โ the sharpest US-EU trade-friction step in 2026; risk-off sentiment likely to firm.
- May 8 US Non-Farm Payrolls in focus; markets positioning for a softer print that would reinforce Fed dovish drift into the Warsh confirmation.
- Powell's "farewell" FOMC last week saw 4 dissents (largest split in 34 years); Powell stays as a Fed governor, Warsh expected confirmed in May.
- Brent still volatile: UAE OPEC/OPEC+ exit (May 1) raising output vs. Iran's Hormuz toll demand.
๐บ๐ธ US Markets: AI Capex Barometer Week + Tariff Shock
- ๐ Equities pricing in trade-friction risk; tech keeps doing the heavy lifting.
- Lumentum / Coherent โ optical-component giants both report this week; AI-data-centre interconnect demand is the central question.
- AMD / Arm โ chip designers report; AI accelerator and IP licensing trajectories will set the tone for the entire semiconductor tape.
- Anthropic โ reportedly chasing US$900B valuation; Apple debuted iOS 27 Siri Camera + visual AI; Mag7 split between capex believers (GOOGL +6.6%, QCOM +12%) and doubters (META โ6%) last week.
๐ญ๐ฐ Hong Kong & China Markets
- SMIC โ Q1 earnings this week. China's mature-node and AI-chip demand mix is the read-across for the entire Asia foundry chain.
- Tencent โ Tencent Cloud raised AI compute pricing +5% โ concrete evidence of compute supply-tightness in China; bullish read-across for hyperscaler economics globally.
- YOFC โ Q1 net profit ripped +226.4% on AI fibre demand (last week's print).
๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore Markets
- ๐ STI hovering near 5,000 on post-Labour-Day reopen; OCBC Research base-case target 5,250.
- MAS-SGX-Nasdaq Global Listing Board (GLB) framework progresses โ MAS issued Apr 30 response on dual-listing SFA amendments; structural lift for SGX's tech/growth pipeline.
- Robinhood received MAS in-principle brokerage approval โ competitive pressure on SG retail-broker incumbents.
- UOB โ Q1 results May 7 (preview: NIM guidance 1.75โ1.80%, watch for capital-return signal mirroring DBS).
- OCBC โ Q1 results May 8 (just crossed S$100bn market cap; FY25 wealth fees +33%).
- DBS โ record Q1 (income S$5.95bn); 66c interim + 15c capital-return dividend payable ~May 20.
- Keppel REIT Q1: rental reversion +17.2% (cohort standout); Suntec REIT distributable income +24.8% YoY to S$57.3m; CICT growth driven by CapitaSpring 100% + Gallileo Germany handover.
- City Developments โ strategic review details expected by end-June.
๐ Key Events Tonight / This Week
- ๐บ๐ธ Lumentum / Coherent / AMD / Arm earnings โ This week
- ๐ญ๐ฐ SMIC Q1 earnings โ This week
- ๐ธ๐ฌ UOB Q1 results โ May 7
- ๐ธ๐ฌ OCBC Q1 results โ May 8
- ๐บ๐ธ April Non-Farm Payrolls โ May 8 (SGT evening)
- ๐บ๐ธ EU auto/truck 25% tariffs effective โ Next week
- ๐บ๐ธ Warsh Fed Chair confirmation โ Expected May
- ๐ธ๐ฌ DBS dividend payment โ ~May 20
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