The S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices closed at record highs on Wednesday, buoyed by strong performances from Nvidia and power equipment manufacturer GE Vernova, amid signs of a potential US-European Union trade agreement reminiscent of a prior US-Japan deal.
Diplomatic sources suggest the prospective agreement may introduce a 15% tariff on European Union imports, possibly including vehicles, echoing the framework established between the U.S. and Japan.
The S&P 500 rose 0.78% to finish at 6,358.91 points, while the Nasdaq climbed 0.61% to 21,020.02 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 1.14%, closing at 45,010.29 points, just shy of its 4 December record.
Shares of GE Vernova surged 14.6% to an all-time high after the company raised its revenue and free cash flow forecasts, beating second-quarter earnings expectations. The firm has now gained over 80% in 2025, driven by soaring electricity demand from Artificial Intelligence and cryptocurrency data centres.
Meanwhile, AI chip giant Nvidia advanced 2.25%, significantly contributing to the upward momentum in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq.
Tesla shares edged up 0.14% ahead of its earnings report, due after market close. Analysts anticipate a sharp decline in revenue due to intensifying competition, a limited new model line-up, and a consumer backlash against CEO Elon Musk.
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, saw its stock slip 0.58%, also poised to release quarterly results after trading hours.
Texas Instruments dropped 13% following a disappointing earnings outlook, citing softer demand and tariff-related uncertainty. The report weighed on the broader analogue chip segment, pulling down shares of NXP Semiconductors, Analog Devices, and ON Semiconductor by between 1% and 4.6%.
U.S. existing home sales declined more than expected in June. Markets now await weekly jobless claims and S&P Global’s flash PMI figures for further insight into the economic landscape amid ongoing trade tensions.
Following last week’s mixed economic indicators, traders have largely ruled out an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve at next week’s meeting. According to the CME FedWatch tool, the likelihood of a rate reduction in September is currently around 58%.
Advancing issues in the S&P 500 outpaced decliners by a 2.1-to-1 ratio. The index posted 50 new highs and 2 new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 96 new highs and 20 new lows.
U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to make the Strait of Hormuz part of U.S. territory have been mocked by Iran's Deputy Foreign Ministe...
For fishermen along Pakistan’s southwestern coast, the consequences of the U.S.-Iran conflict are being felt far from the battlefield....
At least 47 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, ...
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Wildfires across England and Wales have reached their highest level on record, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council, as firefighters struggle to contain outbreaks following a spell of extreme heat.
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investigation into the cause.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised deepening ties with North Korea, saying Moscow and Pyongyang are coordinating their efforts to ensure “regional security and stability”.
Russia and Ukraine traded large-scale overnight attacks targeting energy, industrial and military facilities on Saturday, with a three-month-old baby killed and 11 people injured in a Russian drone strike on a residential building in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.
At least 47 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, triggering small tsunami waves and dozens of aftershocks, officials say.
Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row, has been found dead. He was appointed Cambridge's youngest ever Black professor in 2023, but quit on 5 August, after being accused of lifting passages from his PhD from the work of other academics.
Wildfires across England and Wales have reached their highest level on record, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council, as firefighters struggle to contain outbreaks following a spell of extreme heat.
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