CNBC Daily Open: Keep calm and carry on, investors
Calendar 2025
Katsumi Murouchi | Moment | Getty Images
What a first half of the year it has been.
In the first six months, the world saw a (not so) new U.S. president in the Oval Office, said president upend the global trade landscape, and a president in South Korea removed from office.
Conflicts also broke out between India and Pakistan, as well as Israel and Iran (along with a U.S. airstrike thrown into the mix.)
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek made its debut, stealing ChatGPT's thunder for a while, and elections took place around the world, including in Germany, Australia, and even right here in sunny Singapore.
We might just have to call Billy Joel and get him to write a whole new version of "We Didn't Start the Fire."
Despite such a rollercoaster ride so far, market investors, in response to most developments, seem to have adopted the U.K.'s mantra as it prepared for war in 1939: Keep calm and carry on.
If we take a longer-term view, markets have delivered a respectable performance despite a volatile first half. Just a few stats: the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at fresh all-time highs Monday and are up about 5% year to date.
In Europe, the Stoxx 600 is up 6.7%, and in Asia, most major markets are in positive territory, with Hong Kong and South Korea posting a whopping 20% gain year to date.
Keep calm and carry on into the second half of the year, investors.
— Lim Hui Jie
What you need to know today
And finally...
US President Donald Trump holds an Apple Inc. iPhone during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, May 23, 2025.
Samuel Corum | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Trump takes aim at AT&T service weeks after Trump Mobile licensing deal announced
President Donald Trump criticized AT&T in consecutive Truth Social posts Monday, writing that the country's third-largest wireless carrier "ought to get its act together."
The president wrote that he was trying to hold a conference call with "faith leaders," but that "AT&T is totally unable to make their equipment work properly."
The back-to-back posts came two weeks after the Trump Organization announced it had licensed the Trump name to a new wireless phone service, Trump Mobile, that also sells a $499 smartphone.
— Erin Doherty
Latest World News copy
- China's June factory activity unexpectedly expands, private survey showsThe private survey appeared to diverge from the country's official PMI report, which showed manufacturing activity contracted for a third straight month in June.
- As nations build 'sovereign AI,' open-source models and cloud computing can help, experts sayPanelists at CNBC’s East Tech West 2025 in Thailand discussed how emerging nations can begin to build their own “sovereign AI."
- Musk shreds Trump's tax bill as 'DEBT SLAVERY,' vows to unseat Republicans who back itMusk's latest tirade came as the voting is underway in the Senate on dozens of amendments to the massive Trump-backed tax bill.
- Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed as investors assess gains on Wall Street and Trump's tariff plansChina's Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing purchasing manager's index reading for June came in at 50.4, higher than the 49 predicted by analysts polled by Reuters.
- Stock futures are flat after S&P 500 notches new record to cap winning second quarter: Live updatesTraders head into the second half of the year with stocks at record highs but some are optimistic the market could shoot even higher in the months ahead.
- NATO members just committed to hike defense spending – and these companies could reap the rewardsNATO members have committed to ramp up defense spending, and certain firms are poised to capture the surge in demand that comes with it.