logo
S&P 500, Nasdaq higher after mostly good earnings

S&P 500, Nasdaq higher after mostly good earnings

Business Recorder15 hours ago
NEW YORK: Wall Street stocks mostly rose early Wednesday as markets digested a generally positive set of corporate earnings and monitored trade talks ahead of a White House tariff deadline.
While company results have broadly topped analyst expectations, share price movements have been unpredictable, with analysts pointing to profit taking following a heady period for stocks.
'We are at hefty levels,' said Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital Securities, pointing to a tendency of investors to cash out.
About 20 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down less than 0.1 percent at 44,097.74.
Wall Street turns negative as economic data, tariff uncertainty weigh
The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.2 percent at 6,311.14, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.3 percent to 20,986.42.
Among individual companies, Disney fell 5.0 percent as it reported around a doubling of profits to $5.3 billion and announced a series of new deals to boost its upcoming ESPN streaming venture.
Uber fell 1.0 percent despite reporting higher profits and announcing a $20 billion share repurchase package. Analysts noted that shares have risen about 45 percent so far in 2025.
Governments around the world are racing to try to reach last-minute deals with Donald Trump's administration as new waves of US tariffs are due to take effect this week, first on many Brazilian products Wednesday and then on dozens of other economies beginning Thursday.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

PSX rally continues as KSE-100 hits new high
PSX rally continues as KSE-100 hits new high

Business Recorder

timean hour ago

  • Business Recorder

PSX rally continues as KSE-100 hits new high

Buying momentum continued at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), fueled by a strong economic outlook and robust corporate earnings, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining over 700 points during the opening hours of trading on Thursday. At 10:50am, the benchmark index was hovering at 145,814.78 level, an increase of 726.29 points or 0.50%. Buying interest was observed in key sectors including oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, power generation and refinery. Index-heavy stocks, including ARL, HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, PSO, PPL traded in the green. On Wednesday, the PSX sustained its record-breaking rally as the benchmark KSE-100 Index soared by 2,051 points, or 1.43%, to settle at an all-time closing high of 145,088.50 points. In a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed satisfaction as the stock exchange index surpassed the 145,000-point mark, signalling increased investor confidence in government policies. PM attributed the surge in stock market activity to business-friendly reforms and said providing support for investment remains a top priority for his administration. International markets Asian equities rose on Thursday, with Japanese shares hitting a record high, as tech-led gains on Wall Street, upbeat earnings and growing expectations for U.S. rate cuts boosted sentiment. The prospect of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine also underpinned sentiment, benefiting the euro, while weighing on oil prices as traders gauged the outlook for sanctions on Moscow. At the same time, markets largely shook off Trump's latest tariff threats, including an additional 25% tariff on India over purchases of Russian oil and a threatened 100% duty on chips. Japan's broad Topix index rose 0.9% to reach an all-time high, with the more tech-focused Nikkei also gaining by about the same margin. Taiwan's stock benchmark surged 2.3% to a more than one-year peak. South Korea's KOSPI added 0.6%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.4%, and mainland Chinese blue chips advanced 0.3%. This is an intra-day update

Trump says US will levy 100% tariff on some chip imports
Trump says US will levy 100% tariff on some chip imports

Business Recorder

time2 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Trump says US will levy 100% tariff on some chip imports

WASHINGTON: The United States will impose a tariff of about 100% on semiconductor chips imported from countries not producing in America or planning to do so, President Donald Trump said. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday the new tariff rate would apply to 'all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States,' but would not apply to companies that had made a commitment to manufacture in the United States or were in the process of doing so. 'If, for some reason, you say you're building and you don't build, then we go back and we add it up, it accumulates, and we charge you at a later date, you have to pay, and that's a guarantee,' Trump added. The comments were not a formal tariff announcement, and Trump offered no further specifics. It is not clear how many chips, or from which country, would be impacted by the new levy. Taiwanese chip contract manufacturer TSMC - which makes chips for most U.S. companies - has factories in the country, so its big customers such as Nvidia are not likely to face increased tariff costs. The AI chip giant has itself said it plans to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S.-made chips and electronics over the next four years. An Nvidia spokesperson declined to comment for this story. 'Large, cash-rich companies that can afford to build in America will be the ones to benefit the most. It's survival of the biggest,' said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at investment advisory firm Annex Wealth Management. Congress created a $52.7 billion semiconductor manufacturing and research subsidy program in 2022. The Commerce Department under President Joe Biden last year convinced all five leading-edge semiconductor firms to locate chip factories in the U.S. as part of the program. The department said the U.S. last year produced about 12% of semiconductor chips globally, down from 40% in 1990. Any chip tariffs would likely target China, with whom Washington is still negotiating a trade deal. 'There's so much serious investment in the United States in chip production that much of the sector will be exempt,' said Martin Chorzempa, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Since chips made in China won't be exempt, chips made by SMIC or Huawei would not be either, Chorzempa said, noting that chips from these companies entering the U.S. market were mostly incorporated into devices assembled in China. 'If these tariffs were applied without a component tariff, it might not make much difference,' he said. Chipmaking nations South Korea and Japan, as well as the European Union, have reached trade deals with the U.S., potentially giving them an advantage. The EU said it agreed to a single 15% tariff rate for the vast majority of EU exports, including cars, chips and pharmaceuticals. South Korea and Japan said separately that U.S. agreed not to give them worse tariff rates than other countries on chips, suggesting a 15% levy as well.

Gold gains as Trump doubles India tariffs, boosting safe-haven demand
Gold gains as Trump doubles India tariffs, boosting safe-haven demand

Business Recorder

time2 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Gold gains as Trump doubles India tariffs, boosting safe-haven demand

Gold rose on Thursday, supported by renewed safe-haven demand after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, escalating trade frictions. Spot gold was up 0.4% at $3,380.76 per ounce as of 0247 GMT. U.S. gold futures gained 0.3% to $3,443.30. 'Trump has been dishing up fresh tariff threats which is keeping gold in the frame as a defensive play for investors,' Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade said. 'Gold is moving towards the doorstep of the psychological $3400, with risk-assets being kept off-balance somewhat by the constant tariff proclamations by the U.S. President.' Trump on Wednesday slapped an additional 25% tariff on imports of Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued buying of Russian oil, deepening a trade rift between the two nations after talks reached a deadlock. The new import tax, effective 21 days after August 7, will raise duties on some Indian exports to as high as 50% - among the highest levied on any U.S. trading partner. Adding to gold's support, the dollar index hovered near a more than one-week low after surprisingly weak U.S. jobs data last week triggered bets for U.S. rate cuts in September. A weaker dollar makes gold less expensive for holders of other currencies. Traders are now pricing in a 94% chance of a 25-basis point rate cut next month, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, opens new tab. The Federal Reserve may need to cut rates in the near-term in response to a slowing U.S. economy, even though it remains unclear whether tariffs will continue to push inflation higher, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said. Gold, traditionally considered a safe-haven asset during political and economic uncertainties, tends to thrive in a low-interest-rate environment. Elsewhere, spot silver rose 0.3% to $37.98 per ounce, platinum lost 0.7% to $1,324.26 and palladium shed 0.8% to $1,141.56.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store