{"id":61471,"date":"2026-04-30T21:38:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T01:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-rally-as-us-iran-hostilities-terminate-huawei-challenges-nvidias-china-dominance\/61471\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T21:38:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T01:38:25","slug":"global-markets-rally-as-us-iran-hostilities-terminate-huawei-challenges-nvidias-china-dominance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-rally-as-us-iran-hostilities-terminate-huawei-challenges-nvidias-china-dominance\/61471\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets Rally as US-Iran Hostilities Terminate; Huawei Challenges Nvidia&#8217;s China Dominance"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>U.S. hostilities in Iran are officially &quot;terminated&quot;<\/strong> for War Powers purposes as of May 1, following a ceasefire that began April 7; the conflict, &quot;Operation Epic Fury,&quot; has cost taxpayers <strong>$25 billion<\/strong> to date.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Huawei&#39;s AI chip revenue is projected to hit $12 billion<\/strong> this year as its new <strong>Ascend 950PR<\/strong> processor gains massive traction among Chinese tech giants, directly challenging Nvidia (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) in the region.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) shares rose<\/strong> on the back of strong iPhone sales and a projected <strong>21% revenue climb<\/strong> in the segment, though analysts warn that <strong>surging memory prices<\/strong> (DRAM up 237% since 2025) could erode future margins.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Japan&#39;s manufacturing activity hit a four-year high<\/strong> with a final April PMI of <strong>55.1<\/strong>, even as the nation&#39;s currency chief, Mimura, warned that speculative activity continues to drive yen volatility.<\/li>\n<li><strong>South Korean exports exceeded $80 billion<\/strong> for the second consecutive month in April, signaling robust global demand for semiconductors and automobiles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Geopolitical De-escalation: US-Iran Conflict and War Powers<\/h2>\n<p>The Trump administration announced today that hostilities with Iran, which began on February 28, are now <strong>&quot;terminated&quot;<\/strong> for the purposes of the War Powers Resolution. This determination follows a successful ceasefire brokered in early April, allowing the White House to avoid a looming May 1 deadline for congressional authorization.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon revealed that the conflict, dubbed <strong>&quot;Operation Epic Fury,&quot;<\/strong> has cost U.S. taxpayers approximately <strong>$25 billion<\/strong>. Acting Comptroller Jules Hurst III testified that the majority of these funds were spent on <strong>munitions and ordnance<\/strong> used in an air campaign that struck over 13,000 targets. Despite the cessation of active fire, the U.S. Navy maintains a blockade to prevent Iranian oil tankers from accessing international waters.<\/p>\n<h2>Tech Giants: Huawei Surges as Apple Navigates Supply Costs<\/h2>\n<p>In the semiconductor sector, Huawei is rapidly closing the gap with Western rivals. The company&#39;s <strong>Ascend 950PR AI chip<\/strong> is seeing a surge in orders from Alibaba (<a href=\"\/stock\/BABA\">BABA<\/a>), Tencent (<a href=\"\/stock\/TCEHY\">TCEHY<\/a>), and ByteDance. Huawei expects AI chip revenue to reach <strong>$12 billion<\/strong> this year, capitalizing on U.S. export restrictions that have hindered Nvidia (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) from shipping its most advanced H200 processors to China.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) saw its stock edge higher as investors reacted to strong iPhone 17 cycle sales. However, a shadow looms over the hardware sector as <strong>memory prices skyrocket<\/strong>; mobile DRAM contract prices have surged <strong>237%<\/strong> over the past year. Analysts at Bernstein estimate this could force a <strong>15% price hike<\/strong> for the upcoming iPhone 18 to maintain current profit margins.<\/p>\n<h2>Japan and Asia-Pacific Economic Outlook<\/h2>\n<p>Japan\u2019s economic landscape remains a study in contrasts. The <strong>S&amp;P Global Manufacturing PMI<\/strong> for April was finalized at <strong>55.1<\/strong>, up from a flash estimate of 54.9, marking the fastest growth since early 2022. Despite this industrial strength, <strong>Tokyo\u2019s key inflation gauge<\/strong> unexpectedly slowed, supporting the Bank of Japan\u2019s cautious approach to interest rate hikes.<\/p>\n<p>Japan\u2019s currency chief, Mimura, declined to comment on specific market intervention reports but noted that <strong>speculative activity<\/strong> remains the primary driver of the yen&#39;s recent movements. In the broader region, the <strong>ASX 200<\/strong> climbed 1% to 8,752.90 points, while <strong>ANZ (<a href=\"\/stock\/ANZ\">ANZ<\/a>)<\/strong> stock rose 0.9% in early trading.<\/p>\n<h2>Energy and Social Trends in China<\/h2>\n<p>Venezuela is moving to revitalize its energy sector, entering into Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with <strong>Crossover Energy Holdings<\/strong> and <strong>Hunt Oil Company International<\/strong>. These deals come as the U.S. continues to ease some sanctions following the capture of former leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>In China, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) has issued a stern warning to the nation&#39;s youth against the <strong>&quot;lying flat&quot; (Tang Ping)<\/strong> movement. The agency characterized the trend of opting out of the workforce as a <strong>&quot;brainwashing campaign&quot;<\/strong> funded by foreign forces intended to undermine China&#39;s national productivity. Simultaneously, Trip.com (<a href=\"\/stock\/TCOM\">TCOM<\/a>) announced an ambitious goal to bring <strong>200 million tourists<\/strong> to China, a move expected to significantly buoy GDP growth through the second half of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways U.S. hostilities in Iran are officially &quot;terminated&quot; for War Powers purposes as of May 1, following a ceasefire 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