Daily News – 19th May ’26
Daily News
Asia Markets Trade Mixed as Trump Delays Planned Iran Strike; Nasdaq Posts Back-to-Back Losses
19 May 2026
Today in Brief
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Tuesday as oil eased after President Trump postponed a scheduled attack on Iran, with Brent crude falling 2.04% to $109.81 and WTI slipping 1.12% to $107.44 per barrel. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 fell for a second straight session, weighed down by tech declines — Seagate dropped nearly 7% and dragged Micron lower by 6% — while the Dow edged up 159.95 points to 49,686.12. Gold slipped below $4,550 as Middle East uncertainty and inflation concerns persisted.
Putin arrived in Beijing for a two-day summit with Xi Jinping days after Trump's visit. Trump said Gulf leaders asked him to hold off on striking Iran, fuelling cautious optimism on negotiations. A U.S. jury ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI. NextEra and Dominion Energy confirmed a $66.8 billion all-stock merger. Roblox surged 10% on improving user growth data, and AMD CEO Lisa Su met China's vice premier as trade relations showed signs of stabilising.
Asia markets trade mixed as oil eases after Trump delays planned Iran strike
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Tuesday as oil prices, while elevated, eased slightly following news that President Donald Trump was postponing a scheduled attack on Iran. International Brent crude futures for July delivery fell 2.04% at $109.81 per barrel as of 12:14 a.m. ET. West Texas Intermediate futures for June was 1.12% lower at $107.44 per barrel. Investors were assessing Japan's first-quarter GDP data, which showed the economy grew at an annualized 2.1% in the first three months of the year. The growth was sharply higher than the Reuters-polled analysts' average estimate of 1.7%, and against the 1.3% in the previous quarter. These figures do not capture the full impact of the Iran war, which started at the end of February.
Nasdaq posts back-to-back losses as Micron's decline weighs down tech sector
The Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 fell on Monday, bogged down by declines in technology, as traders monitored oil prices and bond yields while awaiting further developments with the conflict in the Middle East. The broad market benchmark dropped 0.07% to end at 7,403.05, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq slid 0.51% and closed at 26,090.73. It was the second straight day of declines for both indexes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 159.95 points, or 0.32%, at 49,686.12. Seagate led a selloff in the memory chip space after the CEO said during a JPMorgan conference that new factories would "take too long." Seagate fell nearly 7% and dragged peer Micron Technology lower by almost 6%. The comment exacerbated concerns that the memory chip industry doesn't have the capacity to meet soaring demand.
Gold slipped below $4,550 an ounce on Tuesday, giving back part of the previous session's gains
Gold slipped below $4,550 an ounce on Tuesday, giving back part of the previous session's gains as uncertainty surrounding the Middle East conflict and persistent inflation concerns weighed on sentiment. Markets responded cautiously to President Donald Trump's remarks hinting at possible progress toward a peace agreement with Iran, with investors remaining doubtful that a resolution to the crisis was close. Gold has been under pressure since the conflict erupted, as soaring oil prices fuelled inflation fears and reinforced expectations for additional central bank interest rate hikes.
WTI crude futures slipped toward $102 per barrel on Tuesday, giving back some recent gains
WTI crude futures slipped toward $102 per barrel on Tuesday, giving back some recent gains after President Donald Trump said he called off a planned military strike on Iran following appeals from Persian Gulf allies, fuelling optimism that negotiations could restart. Trump stated that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE asked him to "hold off," adding that serious talks were now in progress, although Tehran has yet to confirm the claim. Oil prices had been rallying for over a week as US-Iran peace talks stalled and shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz remained effectively closed. Tehran's nuclear program and the dual blockade of the key waterway continue to be major obstacles preventing a breakthrough in negotiations. Meanwhile, the US issued a fresh waiver permitting the sale of Russian crude oil and petroleum products already loaded onto tankers.
Putin heads to Beijing days after Trump in test of China's balancing act
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, visiting an ally that barely had time to clear the ceremonial trappings it laid out for U.S. President Donald Trump just days earlier. The summit, scheduled for May 19-20, marks the second time the Chinese and Russian leaders have met in the past year, as Beijing seeks to manage ties with Washington and Moscow while positioning itself as a pivotal power in global diplomacy. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 left Moscow effectively isolated and heavily reliant on Beijing for trade under Western sanctions. "We have very serious expectations for this visit," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday, describing the agenda as advancing the two countries' "privileged and strategic partnership."
Trump says he's postponing 'scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow' at Middle East leaders' request
President Donald Trump said Monday he is calling off a plan to attack Iran on Tuesday after the heads of three regional powers in the Middle East asked him to "hold off." Trump, in a Truth Social post, said he has informed U.S. military leaders "that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow" in light of the requests from Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. There had been no clear indication prior to Trump's post that the U.S. was preparing to strike Iran on Tuesday, officially scrapping its tattered ceasefire with Iran. Trump had told the New York Post in an interview earlier Monday that Iran knows "what's going to be happening soon," though he declined to provide details.
Trump says he's 'concerned' about Ebola after American tests positive in Africa
President Donald Trump on Monday said he was concerned about Ebola after an American tested positive for it. "I'm concerned about everything, but certainly [I] am," Trump said when asked about Ebola during a White House event on his administration's consumer-drug website TrumpRx. "I think that it's been confined right now to Africa, and but it's something that has had a breakout," he said of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced earlier Monday that one American tested positive for Ebola while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A day earlier, the World Health Organization declared that the spread of the Ebola-causing virus known as Bundibugyo, which is currently appearing in the DRC and Uganda, constitutes a global public health emergency.
Bank of England does not need to hike interest rates, says IMF — it may even need to cut
Renewed inflationary pressures in the U.K. since the outbreak of the Iran war have upended monetary policy expectations, with the Bank of England forecast to hold, if not hike, interest rates this year. But the International Monetary Fund — which on Monday upgraded the U.K.'s growth forecast for 2026 — suggested that the central bank should be ready to cut interest rates, if necessary. "Monetary policy should remain restrictive to ensure that higher energy prices do not spill over to core inflation and wage growth," the IMF said in its latest forecast for the U.K. "The rise in energy prices will lift headline inflation this year while also weighing on output, complicating policy calibration," it added.
Elon Musk loses lawsuit against OpenAI
A U.S. jury on Monday ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world's richest person for having allegedly strayed from its original mission to benefit humanity. The trial began on April 28. It has widely been seen as a critical moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence generally, both in how it should be used and who should benefit from it, including financially. People use AI for myriad purposes such as education, facial recognition, financial advice, journalism, legal research, medical diagnoses, and harmful deep-fakes. Many people express distrust of the technology and worry it could displace people from their jobs. The verdict followed 11 days of testimony and arguments where Musk's and Altman's credibility came under repeated attack.
NextEra plans to buy Dominion Energy for $66.8 billion, form biggest US power company as AI demand booms
U.S. power companies NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy announced a plan to merge on Monday in a $66.8 billion deal that will form one of the world's largest electric utilities during an expansion of energy-intensive data centers to support artificial intelligence. The all-stock transaction, which is pending regulatory approvals, is one of the largest-ever energy mergers. It will create the third-biggest U.S. energy company behind oil majors Exxon and Chevron, and a company with an enterprise value topping the next two U.S. largest power companies combined. The purchase of Dominion by NextEra, which is already one of the world's largest energy developers, is the latest in a wave of consolidations of U.S. power companies as the build-out of server warehouses across the country opens up lucrative new revenue streams.
Roblox stock surges 10% on improving user growth data
Roblox Corp shares jumped 10% after third-party data showed platform concurrent users grew week-over-week this past weekend, marking a positive shift following a 30-week broad decline in concurrent users. The user growth improvement comes as a notable development for the gaming platform, which has faced declining concurrent user trends in recent months. According to third-party data, the weekend uptick represents a potential reversal in a metric closely watched by investors. While one data point does not make a trend, the analysts think this is potentially an important step for the stock given the negative investor sentiment on the stock driven by the declining concurrent user trend and recent estimate reset.
AMD CEO meets China vice premier as trade relations stabilize
Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Beijing on Monday, with China extending an invitation for the chipmaker to deepen cooperation as bilateral trade relations show signs of stabilization. During the meeting, He said China welcomes companies including AMD to "seize the opportunities presented by China's development and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation." The vice premier referenced last week's summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, stating the leaders "reached a series of important consensuses." He added that trade teams from both countries "achieved overall balanced and positive outcomes" and will bring greater certainty and stability to bilateral trade and economic ties.
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