Stocks are rising on Wall Street on Thursday, even as US President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs kicked into effect on dozens of countries.
The S&P 500 was 0.5 per cent higher in early trading and sitting just a bit below its record, which was set late last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 254 points, as of 9.31am Eastern, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8 per cent higher.
Worries are still high that Trump’s tariffs are damaging the economy, particularly after last week’s worse-than-expected report on the job market. But hopes for coming cuts to interest rates by the Federal Reserve and a torrent of stronger-than-expected profit reports have been overshadowing the concerns on Wall Street, at least for now. Lower interest rates can give the economy and investment prices a boost, though the downside is that they can also push inflation higher.
The Bank of England cut its main interest rate on Thursday in hopes of bolstering the sluggish UK economy.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Apple again helped lead the market on Thursday amid hopes that its massive size can help it navigate the new economy Trump is trying to fashion. Photo: AFP
The US tariffs that took effect on Thursday morning were also already well known, as well as lower than what Trump had initially threatened. Some countries are still trying to negotiate down the tax rates on their exports, and continued uncertainty seems to be the only certainty on Wall Street. All the while, the US stock market faces criticism that it has climbed too far, too fast since hitting a bottom in April and left prices looking too expensive.