Financial Market Preview - Thursday 14-May

US equity futures are modestly higher, Asian markets are mixed, while European equities are broadly higher. Markets were supported by continued strength in technology, particularly semis and mega-cap names, with AI-driven capex demand remaining the dominant theme. Broader sentiment was also helped by expectations for an extension of the US-China trade truce with Chinese purchases of agricultural, energy products and aircraft on the cards following constructive early signals from the Trump-Xi summit. However, underlying breadth remained weaker, and inflation pressures stayed in focus after a stronger-than-expected PPI print, reinforcing expectations that policy will remain restrictive for longer despite resilience in growth and relatively stable bond market conditions.Companied mentioned: Microsoft, Nvidia, eBay, GameStop