European markets were mixed after the opening bell on Monday, while stock markets in London were closed meaning no movement for the FTSE 100 (^FTSE). Traders look to a busy week including key meetings for the Bank of England and Federal Reserve as well as new comments on trade from the US.

US president Donald Trump hinted late on Sunday that trade deals, which could nullify extreme tariff decisions, may come as soon as this week.

When asked by reporters about the deals, Trump said that agreements "could very well be" on their way.

“We’re negotiating with many countries, but at the end of this, I’ll set my own deals — because I set the deal, they don’t set the deal,” he said. “You keep asking the same question: ‘When will you agree?’ It’s up to me, it’s not up to them.”

The Federal Reserve is set to begin its two-day rate setting meeting on Tuesday, while the Bank of England monetary policy committee meets on Thursday.

Germany's DAX (^GDAXI) ticked up 0.2% in early trade. Defence firm Rheinmetall (RHM.DE) was among the top gainers in the index, up more than 2% in early trade. The CAC 40 (^FCHI) fell 0.4% in Paris. The pan-European Stoxx 600 (^STOXX) was almost flat. US stock futures cooled, with futures contracts for the S&P 500 (ES=F) down 0.7% and the Dow (YM=F) losing 0.6%. Nasdaq (NQ=F) futures were 0.7% lower.

Stocks: Create your watchlist and portfolioLIVE4 updates

29 mins ago

Lucy Harley-McKeown

Warren Buffet to step down

On Saturday, longtime Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B, BRK-A) CEO Warren Buffett said he plans to recommend to the company's board that Greg Abel take over at the end of the year. Abel was named Buffett's successor back in 2021.

The announcement came at the end of another annual meeting that saw Buffett warn on Trump's expansive tariff plans and talk down this year's market volatility, among other things.

As for where this leaves Buffett and Berkshire, Buffett said he has no plans to sell Berkshire stock as a result of the change and won't be far away, if needed.

"I would still hang around, and could conceivably be useful in a few cases, but the final word would be what Greg said, in operations, in capital deployment, whatever it might be," Buffett said.

On Friday, Berkshire Hathaway stock closed at a record high. Shares have gained over 17% this year against a 3% drop for the S&P 500.

How investors react to this weekend's news will not only shape the market discussion in the week ahead, but given Berkshire is the 7th-largest company in the S&P 500 and sports a market cap north of $1.1 trillion, how the stock trades could influence the broader market, too.

Read more on Yahoo Finance 33 mins ago

Lucy Harley-McKeown

Here's the US futures chart 34 mins ago

US stock futures dip

US stock futures edged lower on Monday, signalling a potential cooldown after the S&P 500 (^GSPC) snapped its longest winning streak in over 20 years.

Futures attached to the S&P 500 (ES=F) sank 0.7%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) trickled down 0.6%. Futures tied to the Nasdaq (NQ=F) slipped 0.6%.

Investors have been riding a wave of optimism, fuelled largely by early indications that the US and China are inching toward the negotiating table for discussions on tariffs. Chinese officials have signalled reopening trade talks with Washington, though no deal appears imminent. President Trump on Sunday said he wants a "fair deal" with China, but declined to specify what that would look like.

Looking ahead, Wall Street’s attention turns to the Federal Reserve. The central bank kicks off a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday with the Fed expected to hold steady with current rates, even with Trump amping up pressure on the Fed and Chair Jerome Powell in recent weeks. 38 mins ago

Lucy Harley-McKeown

Good morning!

Hi! Lucy Harley-McKeown here, ready to bring you the business and markets news of the day.

In the UK it's the May Day bank holiday, so the FTSE and London indices are closed. Markets across Europe are open, though. As are US futures — with markets across the pond opening at 2.30pm.

In the US, results from Palantir (PLTR), Ford (F), BioNTech (BNTX) and Mattel (MAT) are on the slate.

Let's get to it.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.

View Comments