Global markets opened the week to a mix of political and financial headlines with Trump reigniting tariff tensions with India, US stock futures holding steady during the holiday, Alibaba rallying on cloud and AI optimism, and the Trump-linked WLFI token making a $30 billion debut in crypto trading.
A glance at the biggest stories capturing attention today.
Trump says India offered zero tariffs on American goods
US President Donald Trump again tore into India’s trade policies on Monday, calling the relationship a “totally one-sided disaster.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said India had now offered to drop tariffs on American goods to zero but dismissed the move as “too late” and something that “should have happened years ago.”
He also repeated one of his long-standing complaints: that India buys most of its oil and defense supplies from Russia rather than the United States, which he cast as a major obstacle in ties between the two countries.
Trump argued that while Indian exports flow easily into the US market, American businesses still run into heavy tariffs and regulatory hurdles in India.
The comments came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Read the full report here.
US stock futures remain cautious
US equity markets were closed for Labor Day on Monday, but Dow Jones futures continued to trade and gave an early indication of sentiment.
Futures opened near 45,685, about 9 points higher, and stayed within a narrow band for most of the session.
The contracts moved between roughly 45,528 on the low end and 45,752 on the high, before ending close to the midpoint.
The limited range shows investors are holding positions steady while waiting for fresh economic data and earnings later in the week.
Broader global concerns remain in the background, though there was no sign of strong selling pressure during the holiday closure.
Futures activity, even with modest moves, offered traders a sense of positioning ahead of Tuesday’s full market reopening.
Alibaba rally signals tech sector strength
Alibaba shares have jumped more than 12% in recent weeks, putting the company back in the spotlight as investors bet on growth in its cloud and AI businesses.
The gains come as traders look past weak sentiment in parts of China’s economy and focus instead on Alibaba’s ability to squeeze more revenue from its technology platforms.
The stock remains sensitive to US–China trade tensions, but its scale in e-commerce and its broader mix of businesses give it room to maneuver.
Analysts are lifting earnings forecasts, and volumes in the stock have picked up accordingly.
For many investors, Alibaba’s performance is being treated as a read-through on the strength of China’s tech sector and, by extension, global digital commerce. Read the full report here.
Trump-linked token debuts at $30B
The World Liberty Financial (WLFI) token, a new crypto project tied to US President Donald Trump and his family, debuted on Monday with a paper valuation topping $30 billion.
The token opened at roughly $0.30 on major exchanges including Binance, Upbit, and Gate, with about 25% of its 100 billion supply released into circulation.
The Trump family’s stake, which is estimated at around $6 billion, is subject to lock-up conditions, limiting immediate sales.
WLFI doubles as the governance token for the World Liberty Financial DeFi platform, which also runs the USD1 stablecoin. Trading volumes were brisk on launch day, with much of the demand attributed to the Trump brand rather than fundamentals.
With liquidity tightly controlled at the outset, WLFI’s debut is being watched as a test case for how politically linked digital assets might gain traction in a crowded DeFi market.
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