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US stocks wobbled on Friday after President Trump hinted more trade deals are coming and raised the possibility of a cut to US tariffs on Chinese imports ahead of talks between the two countries this weekend.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) erased opening gains to drop 0.3%. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) closed below the flatline, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) was little changed.
All three major averages ended the week down less than 0.5%.
Markets are focused on the US-China trade talks in Geneva this weekend, following a rally in stocks on Thursday as Trump unveiled a US-UK trade pact. As reports flagged a potential US cut to sky-high tariffs on Chinese imports, Trump said an 80% rate "seems right" in a post to Truth Social on Friday.
The president this week has maintained an optimistic tone about the talks with China, saying they would be "substantive."
Read more: The latest on Trump's tariffs
Hopes for a deescalation in tariff tensions got a further boost on Friday as Trump said, "Many Trade Deals in the hopper, all good (GREAT!) ones" in a later social media post.
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was rallying against the dollar amid the optimism, trading above $102,000 after topping $104,000 overnight.
On the earnings front, Pinterest (PINS) stock surged following an upbeat quarterly revenue outlook that bolstered hopes that ad spending on the social media platform will stay strong in the face of tariff risks to the economy. But Expedia (EXPE) slid after the online booking platform missed revenue estimates amid flagging US demand.
LIVE 17 updates
Stocks close down for week as investors turn focus on China talks
Stocks notched weekly losses as investors turned their focus to talks between China and the US happening this weekend in Switzerland.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped about 0.3%. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell below the flatline. The Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) was flat.
Tesla (TSLA) stock jumped more than 4%, pushing shares to their highest level since February as the EV maker looked notched a third straight week of gains.
Investor optimism grew this week after the US and UK announced a trade deal, and President Trump hinted he would be willing to lower tariff rates on imports from China from 145% to perhaps 80%.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be meeting with Chinese officials this weekend to talk about trade.
Tesla stock jumps to highest levels since February, poised for 3rd straight week of gains
Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian reports:
Read more here.
White House Press Secretary: 80% tariff on Chinese imports is number Trump 'threw out there'
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Friday afternoon that President Trump “threw out there” the 80% rate for tariffs on imports from China.
Leavitt said no final rate would be set prior to the upcoming talks this weekend between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese officials in Switzerland.
On Friday morning Trump posted on social media "80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B."
Stocks on pace to close in red for week as China talks loom
Stocks were on pace to close out the week with modest losses on Friday, as investors turned their focus to talks between China and the US happening this weekend in Switzerland.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) erased early morning losses to drop 0.2%. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) wavered between positive and negative territory for much of the session.
Industrial stocks (XLI) outperformed this week, along with Energy (XLE). Tech (XLK) was on pace to gain less than 0.5% for the week. Meanwhile, Healthcare (XLV) stocks sank for the week.
Slate CEO: We've raised nearly $700M from backers like Bezos for US-built EVs
Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian reports:
Read more here.
Tesla stock surges 4%, is the top 'Mag 7' performer as China talks loom
Tesla (TSLA) stock surged as much as 7% before paring gains on Friday, helping send the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) into green territory.
At 12:25 p.m. ET, shares were up more than 4%.
The EV maker stock was the best performer among the "Magnificent Seven" stocks ahead of US-China talks on trade this weekend.
Tesla is also set to close out the week with the biggest gains among the megacap group, up more than 3%.
Palantir stock set to end the week down amid investor concerns over lofty valuation
Yahoo FInance's Laura Bratton reports:
Read more here.
More Fed officials warn Trump tariffs could produce higher inflation and slower growth
Yahoo Finance's Jennifer Schonberger reports:
Read more here.
Some trending tickers in early trading: Pinterest, Expedia, Boeing, Lyft
Pinterest (PINS) stock soared over 10% after the social media platform issued upbeat guidance and reported it had 570 million monthly active users in the first quarter.
Expedia (EXPE) stock dropped 10% after weaker US travel demand weighed on revenue. The Seattle-based company reported revenue of $2.98 billion for the first quarter, below analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion, Reuters reported.
Boeing (BA) stock rose 1% after the plane maker emerged as a winner in the US-UK trade pact. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Thursday that the UK committed to buying $10 billion worth of Boeing planes. My colleague Hamza Shaban wrote more about what that means for investors in today's Morning Brief.
Lyft (LYFT) shares surged more than 16% after Engine Capital said on Friday it would end its activist campaign in the ride-hailing company and withdraw its board nominees after the company increased its stock buyback program to $750 million from $500 million.
Stocks rise as Trump suggests tariff cut on Chinese imports
Stocks rose at the open on Wall Street on Friday after President Trump suggested cutting US tariffs on Chinese imports. His comment fueled further optimism that the trade war is easing ahead of talks between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's team and Chinese officials in Switzerland this weekend.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) edged up 0.2%. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) gained about 0.5%.
In a social media post on Friday morning, Trump suggested an 80% tariff rate for Chinese imports.
Markets are attempting a third straight day of gains after the US unveiled a trade deal with the UK on Thursday. President Trump said more agreements with US trading partners are coming, along with a tax bill making its way through Congress.
"You better go out and buy stock now," Trump said during Thursday's press conference.
Bitcoin tops 103K, buoyed by trade optimism
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) extended gains on Friday, rising 3.6% to trade above $103,000. At one point, the world's largest cryptocurrency briefly spiked above $104,000.
Bitcoin rose alongside the overall market on optimism about deescalating tariffs and an announcement Thursday that Coinbase (COIN) would acquire options platform Deribit for $2.9 billion, as Yahoo Finance's Ines Ferré detailed.
Bitcoin fell as low as $75,000 in the days following Trump's "reciprocal" tariff announcement on April 2. It's now trading around its highest level since January.
The crypto is not very far off from its all-time high of 109,114.88 reached on Jan. 20, Trump's Inauguration Day.
Stock futures jump after Trump hints at China tariff reduction
Stock futures jumped premarket after President Trump posted on social media that he is considering slashing tariffs on Chinese imports ahead of the highly anticipated meeting between US and Chinese officials this weekend.
"80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B.," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
S&P 500 futures (ES=F) were up 0.2%, while futures on the Nasdaq (NQ=F) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) rose 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively. All three futures were negative or hovering at the flat line earlier in the morning.
Still, the moves higher were somewhat muted, suggesting that investors may still be somewhat wary about the outcome of the talks and see a long way to go for a resolution in the US-China trade tensions.
Read more about the latest tariff and trade deal updates here.
Oil prices gain amid optimism on US-China trade talks
Oil prices are gaining to end the week on trade optimism after the US and UK announced they reached a trade agreement on Thursday and signs point to deescalation in the trade war with China.
Brent futures (BZ=F), the international benchmark, rose 1.8% to trade around $64 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures (CL=F) gained 2% on Friday morning, trading around $61 per barrel.
Bloomberg reports:
Pinterest stock jumps as ad spend stays strong amid tariffs
Pinterest's (PINS) upbeat forecast for quarterly revenue calmed some worries about the prospects for ad spending as tariff risks weigh on the economic outlook.
The social media platform provider's shares jumped 12% in premarket trading.
Reuters reported:
Boeing is the first winner in new era of piecemeal trade deals
Nvidia adapts H20 chip to sell to China under new export rules
Nvidia (NVDA) unveiled plans for a less-capable model of the H20 AI chips for use in China in response to the US an export restrictions on the most powerful chips made by American chip producers.
Gold rises as US-UK trade deal is digested by markets
Gold (GC=F) has seen a modest climbed again in a volatile week, after seeing a 6% gain and fall in earlier sessions as a UK-US trade deal has bolstered markets.
Bloomberg reports:
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