Japan's warning, the trade war's next phase, and Trump Media's Bitcoin buy: Markets news roundup

Demand for Japan’s 40-year government bonds plunged Wednesday to its lowest level since last July, reinforcing fears that appetite for ultra-long Japanese debt is evaporating.

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Stocks opened higher Thursday morning after a federal court struck down most of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, fueling early optimism that one of 2025’s biggest economic headwinds could be moving into the rearview.

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The U.S. housing market has undergone an unprecedented shift: Sellers now outnumber buyers by approximately 490,000.

It’s the largest disparity since Redfin, a real estate company, began tracking the data in 2013.

Redfin’s report, published Thursday, forecasts that if current trends persist, home prices could decline by 1% by the end of 2025, on average. “Prospective buyers may see their purchasing power increase, and prospective sellers should consider selling sooner rather than later,” the report states.

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Trump Media & Technology Group has tapped investors for $2.5 billion to fund a cryptocurrency reserve.

Institutional investors have bought shares in the firm under a private placement, the Trump family’s media company announced Tuesday, with the proceeds set to be invested in Bitcoin.

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Uncertainty among homeowners and buyers is at a three-year high, according to Bank of America’s (BAC) Homebuyer Insights Report published Wednesday.

Of the survey’s 2,000 respondents nationwide, 60% said they are unsure whether now is a good time to buy, compared to 48% in 2023.

Despite this, about half of the prospective homebuyers surveyed feel optimistic about the market, saying it’s improved over the past year. Respondents expect this to continue: 75% foresee home prices and interest rates falling, and are waiting until then to buy a new home. That’s up from 62% in 2023.

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Shein appears to be abandoning its hopes for a flotation in London.

The fast-fashion retailer is reportedly preparing to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange as its application to launch an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange stalls with Chinese regulators, Reuters reported Wednesday. While Shein is headquartered in Singapore, it was founded in China, where the majority of its suppliers remain.

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Consumers’ attitudes about the U.S. economy improved in April as trade tensions eased.

The latest survey of consumers from the Conference Board released on Tuesday indicated consumer confidence was rebounding, breaking a five-month slump. It leapt to a score of 98 in April compared to 85.7 a month earlier, sharply overtaking economists’ expectations. (A score of 100 equals the benchmark score for 1985.) The gains in consumer confidence was spread out among all income and age groups, the Conference Board said.

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Treasury yields fell on Tuesday with bond markets a little more reassured that a new front in the trade war won’t be opened in the near future.

The thirty-year Treasury yield dropped five basis points to 4.984% as stock futures surged. Meanwhile, the ten-year Treasury yield had shed four basis points to 4.475% at the time of publication.

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International growth is slowing, fewer new jobs will be created, and the global income gap is rising — largely because of elevated trade tension spearheaded by U.S. President Donald Trump. That’s according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), a UN agency, whose new report is based on the IMF’s April 2025 “World Economic Outlook.” The IMF also singled out new tariffs and a “highly unpredictable environment.”

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U.S. stocks rose sharply Tuesday, with the S&P 500 climbing over 2%, the Nasdaq gaining 2.5%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 740 points, or 1.8%, in a rebound from last week’s selloff.

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