**Global Market Brief: Volatility Spikes on Tariff & AI Jitters** **Overview** Global equities are facing renewed turbulence as **trade war fears** and **AI sector recalibration** dominate sentiment. Markets are reacting sharply to the Trump administration's aggressive tariff announcements and the disruption caused by the DeepSeek AI release, forcing a repricing of risk assets. **Equity Markets** US indices closed significantly lower as investors digested the imposition of **25% tariffs** on Canada and Mexico and **10%** on China. The tech sector led the decline, pressured by concerns over AI profitability and trade retaliations. * **S&P 500**: Closed at **6,040.53** (down **0.5%**). * **Nasdaq**: Slid to **19,627.44** (down **1.2%**), hit hard by semiconductor weakness. * **Dow Jones**: Dropped **337 points** to **44,544.66** (down **0.8%**). * **India (Sensex)**: Fell **319 points** to **77,186**, tracking global weakness. **Key Market Drivers** * **Tariff Tantrum**: The White House's executive orders on tariffs have sparked concerns of a retaliatory trade war, impacting supply chains for autos (GM, Toyota down **~3%**) and transportation (FedEx down **6.6%**). * **AI "Reality Check"**: The debut of Chinese startup **DeepSeek**’s low-cost model has triggered an "AI bubble" scare, pulling down heavyweights like **Nvidia** (down **2.8%**) and **Microsoft** amid fears of margin compression. * **Fed Policy**: The Federal Reserve held rates steady at **4.25%–4.50%**, signalling a cautious approach to inflation which remains sticky at **2.6%** (PCE). **Commodities & Crypto** Safe-haven assets and energy are diverging from equities. * **Oil**: Prices edged higher on supply disruption fears. **Brent Crude** rose **0.77%** to **$76.25**, and **WTI** climbed **1.8%** to **$73.84**. * **Gold**: Retained its safe-haven appeal, trading around **$2,787** per ounce globally, with domestic prices in India seeing a slight uptick. * **Crypto**: Digital assets faced a steep sell-off in a risk-off environment. **Bitcoin** dropped below **$96,000**, shedding **~3.7%**, while **Ethereum** and **Solana** saw double-digit declines. **Corporate Radar** Earnings season enters a critical phase with major tech giants reporting this week. * **Alphabet (Google)** and **Amazon** are set to release results, which will be pivotal for stabilizing tech sentiment. * **Palantir** surged in extended trading after beating revenue expectations, signalling resilience in specific AI software segments. * **Disney** and **ExxonMobil** are also on deck, providing insights into consumer health and energy demand. **Next Step** I can generate a detailed technical analysis of the S&P 500 or a comparative breakdown of the new tariff impacts on specific sectors if you provide the focus area.