US stocks end mostly up as markets eye trade talks
US stocks rose on as markets anticipated a new round of trade talks between Washington and Beijing. US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent (L) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (R) are leading the American side along with Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images via AFP)
NEW YORK, United States — US stocks edged higher Monday as US and Chinese representatives held high-stakes trade talks. Markets also looked ahead to key economic data.
Trade representatives for the world’s two biggest economies plan a second day of talks on Tuesday. This follows an opening round on Monday. Although there were no breakthroughs, the market has welcomed the negotiations.
“There’s hopes that they’re inching closer to some sort of a deal,” said Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital Securities.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished flat at 42,761.76.
READ: US, China begin key trade talks in London
The broad-based S&P 500 climbed 0.1 percent to 6,005.88. Meanwhile, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index added 0.3 percent at 19,591.24.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are leading the US delegation.
China’s team included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and China International Trade Representative Li Chenggang.
Notable US stocks
Among individual companies, Apple fell 1.2 percent after company executives emphasized its artificial intelligence efforts at the tech giant’s annual developers conference. These include allowing app makers to directly access a device’s AI capabilities.
Apple has lagged some rivals in introducing AI-advancing updates to its Siri voice assistant and other programs.
READ: How should PH respond to US tariffs?
Warner Brothers Discovery finished down 3 percent. This was after unveiling a plan to split itself into two companies to better position for the streaming era.
The entertainment giant will break itself into two publicly traded companies: one covering “Streaming & Studios” and the other “Global Networks.”
The shift is designed to enable each venture to “maximize its potential.” It is expected to be completed by mid-2026, the company said.
This week’s agenda includes releases on consumer and producer prices, key benchmarks on inflation.
