Magnificent Seven Gain $700B After US-China Slash Tariffs, Gold Crashes: What's Driving Markets Monday?

Wall Street staged a robust rally Monday following the U.S.-China trade truce that slashed reciprocal tariffs by over 100 percentage points.

By midday, risk-on sentiment was running at full throttle, propelling the Nasdaq 100 up 3.5% and lifting the S&P 500 by 2.7% to 5,815.43—its highest level since March. The Dow Jones surged 958 points, or 2.3%, while the small-cap Russell 2000 added 3%.

Under the 90-day reprieve, the U.S. will cut tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%. China, in turn, will lower its tariffs on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%, effective May 14. The two countries also agreed to launch a formal mechanism for ongoing economic consultations, easing fears of a permanent decoupling.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the agreement followed "very robust discussions" in Geneva

While equities soared, gold suffered its worst day since Trump's election victory in November 2024. Gold prices dropped 3%, falling below $3,230 per ounce, as investors rotated out of safe havens and into risk assets.

The U.S. dollar index surged 1.3% to 101.8. The short-end of the curve also jumped, driven by fading expectations for near-term Fed rate cuts, with 2-year yields up 10 basis points to 4.0%. Yields on 30-year Treasury bonds climbed to 4.87%,

Oil prices rose 2% to $62.30 per barrel, reaching their highest level since late April amid hopes of a demand boost from improved global trade conditions.

Monday’s Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs

According to Benzinga Pro data:

Monday’s Stock Movers

Stocks reacting on earnings report included:

  • NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE:NRG), up 24%,
  • Fox Corp. (NYSE:FOX) up 4.4%,

The S&P 500 biggest gainers were:

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