AI Stock Market News Today

China's manufacturing sector expanded slightly in April, surpassing analyst expectations even as new orders slowed. The data arrives as Beijing prepares for a critical trade summit with the United States.

• Manufacturing PMI of 50.3 indicates continued but slowing expansion
• Service sector contraction seen in non-manufacturing PMI of 49.4

The Indonesian stock market ended a seven-day decline on Wednesday, though headwinds from energy prices and geopolitical tension persist. The JCI is expected to trade sideways as investors await major U.S. tech earnings.

• JCI closed at 7,101.23, ending a 5.1% seven-day slide
• Bank Danamon Indonesia surged 14.86% while Aneka Tambang fell 3.96%

Domino's Pizza reported a slight miss on both top and bottom lines for the first quarter of 2026. Despite the results, management has committed an additional $1 billion to share buybacks to support shareholder value.

• Adjusted EPS: $4.13 (Expected: $4.28)
• Revenue: $1.15 billion (Expected: $1.17 billion)

The Japanese benchmark index declined on Thursday, erasing previous gains amid rising domestic COVID-19 cases. Despite modest gains on Wall Street, local health concerns and global inflation data pressured equity prices.

• Nikkei 225 dropped 227.83 points to 28,537.83
• Daily COVID-19 cases in Japan topped 13,000

Connection reports its highest order backlog since mid-2022, signaling strong future demand. The company aims to exceed broader U.S. IT market growth by 200 basis points in 2026.

• Targeting 200 bps outperformance of U.S. IT market in 2026
• Order backlog at highest level since mid-2022

The United States has indicated it will continue its naval blockade of Iranian ports to restrict oil exports. The strategy aims to leverage economic pressure to force Iranian officials back to the negotiating table.

• US confirms no letup in naval blockade of Iranian ports
• Strategy focuses on choking off oil export revenues

The Hang Seng Index rebounded on Wednesday led by financial and tech gains, though surging oil prices and Middle East tensions threaten short-term stability. Investors remain cautious as global markets await major US tech earnings and digest a divided Federal Reserve vote.

• Hang Seng Index closed at 26,111.84, up 1.68%
• Ping An Insurance and China Life led insurance gains

NXP Semiconductors reported a strong first quarter with revenue growth and margin expansion driven by automotive and industrial demand. The company provided optimistic guidance for the second quarter, signaling continued momentum in software-defined vehicles and physical AI.

• Q1 revenue rose 12% YoY to $3.18 billion
• Adjusted EPS of $3.05 beat Wall Street's $2.95 estimate

Smith Micro Software forecasts second-quarter revenue of $5.2 million driven by the rollout of its SafePath OS. The company also confirmed the acquisition of a new carrier customer and the finalization of its executive succession plan.

• Q2 revenue guidance set at $5.2 million
• Growth driven by SafePath OS deployment

Alphabet and Meta both raised capital expenditure forecasts for AI infrastructure, but investors reacted with starkly different valuations. While Google's cloud growth provided a clear ROI path, Meta's reliance on ad revenue led to a sharp sell-off.

• Alphabet 2026 capex guidance raised to $180B-$190B
• Meta 2026 capex guidance raised to $125B-$145B

The Shanghai and Shenzhen indices posted modest gains on Wednesday, though broader sentiment remains cautious. Investors are weighing surging crude prices and geopolitical tensions against upcoming domestic economic data.

• Shanghai Composite Index closed at 4,107.51 (+0.71%)
• Shenzhen Composite Index rose 1.66% to 2,772.50

The S&P/ASX 200 declined on Friday, extending a losing streak amid negative cues from US markets. Broad selling hit technology, energy, and mining sectors.

• S&P/ASX 200 dropped 39.10 points to 7,451.20
• Coal miners New Hope and Yancoal fell approximately 7%