Stocks rose during a volatile session on Wednesday as the broader market partially recovered from two straight sessions of deep losses tied to the start of President Donald Trump's tariffs on major trading partners. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed over 480 points, while the S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite advanced about 1.1% and 1.5%, respectively.
Here's how the market settled on Wednesday:
S&P 500 Index
Dow Jones Industrial Average
Nasdaq Composite Index
On Wednesday, Trump issued a one-month exemption from his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, "on any autos coming through," the trilateral trade deal USMCA, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Shares of Detroit automakers Ford
Individual investors pulled out $1.2 billion from the U.S. equity market in the first hour of Tuesday's session, data from JPMorgan showed, marking the largest selloff at market open since the firm began tracking this activity a decade ago.
"The tariffs alone aren't enough to hurt the economy in a noticeable way," said Michael Landsberg, chief investment officer at Landsberg Bennett Private Wealth Management, quoted by CNBC. "But when you take tariffs, plus broader worries about the economy, and a Fed that still might take its time on lowering rates, that's when you start to wonder if the record highs in stocks from earlier this year was justified."
On the Economic Front:
U.S. Service Sector Activity expanded in February, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported Wednesday, offering a bright spot amid concerns of a looming economic slowdown.
The ISM services index came in at a reading of 53.5 for the month, representing the share of businesses reporting expansion. The survey was 0.7 points higher than January's level and ahead of economist expectations; readings above the neutral level of 50 indicates expansion.
Private Payroll additions slowed in February, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday, raising concerns of an economic slowdown. U.S. companies added just 77,000 new workers on the month, well below January's upwardly revised print of 186,000 and the month's estimate for 148,000 from Dow Jones.
In the News:
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