The Dow lost over 300 points after the opening bell on Friday, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq underperformed by falling 1.7% and 1.9%, respectively, as investors digested disappointing results from Amazon and Apple. The shares of Amazon tumbled more than 11% after reporting a surprise loss because of its investment in Rivian and issuing weak revenue guidance for Q2 2022. Apple shares were also down after CFO Luca Maestri stated that supply chain constraints could impede fiscal third-quarter revenue. Falls have been most pronounced in high-growth stocks as the prospect of higher interest rates threatens to undermine the valuations of tech companies. Markets were recalibrating the higher possibility of a 50bps interest rate hike in May from the Fed as the central bank seeks to tame runaway inflation. As a result, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the S&P 500 were on track for their worst month since March 2020. The Dow is also set to end April on a weak note.

The Euro Area economy expanded by 0.2 percent on quarter in the first three months of 2022, the least since the bloc exited a recession last year and below market expectations of a 0.3 percent advance. Growth in Spain (0.3 percent) and Germany (0.2 percent) more than offset a contraction in Italy (-0.2 percent) while the French economy stalled. Preliminary Eurostat data indicated the war and related commodity price spikes cut growth by 0.1 percentage points, as the European Commission forecast just before the Russian invasion that growth would be 0.3 percent quarter-on-quarter. Year-on-year, the GDP expanded 5 percent, accelerating from an upwardly 4.7 percent increase in Q4 and matching forecasts.

The annual inflation rate in the Euro Area rose to a fresh record high of 7.5% in April of 2022 from 7.4% in March, and mostly in line with market expectations, as the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia continued to push prices of commodities higher, preliminary estimates showed. The inflation is now more than three times above the ECB target of 2%. Prices advanced faster for food, alcohol & tobacco (6.4 % vs 5.0 % in March), non-energy industrial goods (3.8% vs 3.4%) and services (3.3% vs 2.7%). Meanwhile, energy prices slowed but remained extremely high (38% vs 44.4%). Excluding energy, the inflation also increased to 4.2% from 3.4% and excluding energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco went up to 3.5% from 2.9%.

European stocks finished the last trading day of April on a high note, with the regional STOXX 600 and the DAX 30 advancing 0.7% each, driven by consumer and materials stocks. The immediate catalyst for the move was a fresh economic stimulus pledge from China and a slew of upbeat earnings. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker’s Q1 sales surprised on the upside, as new therapies for kidney disease and rare conditions offset expected lower COVID-19 vaccine sales. Johnson Matthey jumped almost 20% after standard Investments, the investment arm of Standard Industries in the United States, acquired a 5.23% stake in the British chemicals company. On the data front, eurozone inflation hit a record high for the sixth consecutive month in April. Meantime, its economy expanded by 0.2 % in the first three months of 2022, the least since the bloc exited a recession last year. Still, the DAX 30 index ended Abril roughly 0.5% lower to post its fourth consecutive monthly decline.

The Canadian economy likely expanded by 0.5% month-over-month in March of 2022, with preliminary data also suggesting annualized growth for the first quarter at about 5.6% on an annualized basis, which would beat most forecasts. It marks the tenth consecutive month of growth. In February, GDP rose by 1.1%, the fastest advance since March of 2021, above market forecasts of 0.8%, amid the easing of Omicron-related restrictions. Both services-producing (+0.9%) and goods-producing (+1.5%) industries were up, as 16 of 20 industrial sectors expanded in February. The main drivers of growth were the accommodation and food services sector (15.1%); arts, entertainment and recreation (8.4%); mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (3.4%); transportation and warehousing (3.1%) and construction (2.7%).

US natural gas futures traded close to $6.9 per million British thermal units, after shedding roughly 6% due to recovering output levels and a larger-than-expected build in domestic inventories. Following recent freeze-offs in the Rockies, production of natural gas showed signs of recovery, although supply risks remained as the industry entered its maintenance season. Also, EIA data showed US stocks rose by 40 billion cubic feet, more than median analyst estimates of a 38 build, but came short of the 5-year average build of 53 bcf, widening the gap between current stocks and the 5-year average levels. Still, losses were limited by signs of higher cooling demand as the weather turns seasonally warmer and by robust overseas demand, elevated after Moscow cut supplies of natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria, stoking fears of wider supply disruptions in the region. On a monthly basis, natural gas is set for a 22.6% jump, while gains could settle at 4% for the week.