Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato drew attention by mentioning that the country’s more than $1.1 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds could potentially be a “card on the table” in negotiations with Washington over Trump’s steep tariffs on autos and other imports.

Published first at US stocks gained about 5% last week and are now up about 14% from their low on April 7th. Naturally, the recovery in stocks has prompted speculation that the worst may be over. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent happily reported that the Nasdaq 100 was now in positive territory for the month of April.

Stocks rose in morning trading on Wall Street Friday following a stronger-than-expected report on the U.S. job market. The S&P 500 gained 0.8%, putting the index on track for a ninth straight day of gains.

China said it is evaluating U.S. officials’ willingness to negotiate trade talks, giving a spark of hope for de-escalating the trade war between the world’s largest two economies.

Global stock markets rose on Friday as jobs data reassured investors on the US economy, as did indications Beijing and Washington may begin to talk about resolving their tariff standoff.