Aftenresumé: Trump ankommer til Kina, amerikansk PPI stiger kraftigt

Præsident Donald Trump ankom til Kina for et højspændt topmøde med præsident Xi Jinping, samtidig med at nye data over producentpriser viste, at engrosinflationen i USA accelererede markant i april.

Samtidig annoncerede Walmart og LinkedIn nye personalereduktioner og omstruktureringer knyttet til teknologi- og AI-prioriteter, og Kevin Warsh blev bekræftet som næste formand for Federal Reserve midt i tiltagende politisk pres for lavere renter.

Trump ankommer til Kina til skelsættende topmøde med Xi

Præsident Donald Trump landede i Beijing onsdag på det første statsbesøg til Kina af en amerikansk præsident i ni år, mens begge lande forsøger at stabilisere relationerne på baggrund af konflikten med Iran og de fortsatte handelsspændinger.

Air Force One ankom til Beijing Capital International Airport kort før kl. 20, hvor Kinas vicepræsident Han Zheng bød Trump velkommen ved en formel rødt-tæppe-ceremoni.

Trump forventes at mødes med præsident Xi Jinping i Folkets Store Sal torsdag.

Topmødets dagsorden omfatter handel, toldsatser, kunstig intelligens, Taiwan og konflikten med Iran.

Forud for besøget hentydede Trump til, at han ville presse Xi for at åbne Kina yderligere for amerikanske virksomheder og reducere handelsbarrierer.

Rapporter indikerede også, at begge lande undersøger en ramme for at lette told på varer for omkring $30 billion uden at gå på kompromis med nationale sikkerhedsinteresser.

Den amerikanske præsident ankom med en forretningsdelegation, der omfattede ledere fra Tesla, Apple, Boeing og Nvidia.

Diskussioner om AI og teknologi fik yderligere opmærksomhed, efter at Nvidias administrerende direktør Jensen Huang sluttede sig til rejsen i sidste øjeblik.

US producer prices post biggest rise since 2022

US wholesale inflation accelerated sharply in April, reinforcing concerns that price pressures remain entrenched across the economy.

The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 1.4% on a seasonally adjusted basis, marking the largest monthly increase since March 2022 and far exceeding economists’ expectations for a 0.5% increase.

On an annual basis, producer prices climbed 6.0%, the strongest increase since December 2022.

Much of the rise was driven by higher energy costs linked to disruptions in global shipping routes amid the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Underlying inflation pressures remained firm as the index excluding foods, energy and trade services rose 0.6% in April and 4.4% from a year earlier.

The data follows a separate report earlier this week showing consumer inflation also accelerated in April, complicating the Federal Reserve’s path toward future interest-rate cuts.

Walmart and LinkedIn announce workforce restructuring

Fresh layoffs and restructuring efforts continued across the technology and corporate sectors as companies reorganized operations around AI and efficiency initiatives.

Walmart is cutting or relocating around 1,000 corporate employees as part of a broader effort to consolidate technology and AI operations.

According to reports, the retailer reviewed overlapping teams and plans to centralize more employees in Bentonville, Arkansas, and Northern California.

The restructuring follows Walmart’s increasing investments in artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure under CEO John Furner.

Meanwhile, LinkedIn plans to cut roughly 5% of its workforce, according to Reuters. The Microsoft-owned professional networking platform is restructuring teams to focus on faster-growing business areas.

Despite the layoffs, LinkedIn reported revenue growth of 12% in the latest quarter.

Technology layoffs have accelerated sharply this year, with Layoffs.fyi estimating that more than 103,000 tech workers have lost their jobs globally in 2026 so far.

Kevin Warsh confirmed as next Federal Reserve chair

The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve chair in a 54-45 vote, replacing Jerome Powell after his term expires Friday.

Warsh, a former Fed governor from 2006 to 2011, takes over during a period of persistent inflation pressures and increasing political scrutiny over interest-rate policy.

President Trump has repeatedly pushed for lower borrowing costs and criticized Powell for maintaining restrictive monetary policy.

Markets, however, have recently reduced expectations for rate cuts after inflation data showed price pressures remain elevated above the Fed’s 2% target.

Warsh previously criticized the Fed’s quantitative easing programs and last year called for “regime change” at the central bank during a CNBC interview.

His first Federal Open Market Committee meeting as chair is scheduled for June 16-17, where investors will closely monitor signals about the direction of monetary policy.