Wall Street tiptoes toward more records as its busy week picks up momentum

NEW YORK — U.S. stock indexes are ticking higher on Tuesday as an incredibly busy week for Wall Street picks up momentum.

The S&P 500 was up 0.2% in early trading after setting an all-time high in six straight days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was adding 0.5% to its own record.

JetBlue Airways climbed 14.4%, and SoFi Technologies jumped 16.2%, but Merck dropped 7.8% following a growing torrent of profit reports from big U.S. companies. They’re among the hundreds of companies telling investors this week how much they made during the spring, including nearly a third of the stocks in the S&P 500 index.

Treasury yields were easing a bit in the bond market as the Federal Reserve gets set to begin a two-day meeting where they will decide what to do with short-term interest rates. Despite angry lobbying from President Donald Trump for lower rates, which would give the economy a boost, the widespread expectation is that the Fed will wait for more data about how Trump’s tariffs are affecting inflation and the economy before making its next move.

Chinese stock indexes, meanwhile, were mixed as top trade officials from the world’s two largest economies headed into a second day of talks about tariffs. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng were meeting in Sweden’s capital and working against an Aug. 12 deadline. If they don’t reach a deal or at least an extension on their truce by then, triple-digit tariffs are set to resume.

Later this week, another deadline is looming on Friday for many of Trump’s proposed tariffs on other countries. And if that weren’t enough, several highly anticipated economic reports are also on the way, including the latest monthly update on the job market.

This jam-packed week could prove pivotal in determining whether the U.S. stock market can keep climbing to more records or succumb to criticism that it’s grown too expensive following its quick leap in recent months.

One way companies can tamp down such criticism is to deliver solid growth in profits.

That helped Beyond, whose stock came into the day with a gain of nearly 109% for the year so far. The company, which owns Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock and other brands, reported stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It lost $19 million during the quarter, but that was better than forecast, and its stock rose 3.4%.

Popular Reads

But investors have also been punishing stocks of companies that have failed to meet expectations so far this reporting season.

UnitedHealth Group dropped 5.1% after reporting a profit for the spring that fell short of analysts’ expectations. It also gave a forecast for profit over all of 2025 that investors found disappointing. The health care giant said it expected to earn at least $16 per share, when analysts were looking for something close to $20, according to FactSet.

In stock markets abroad, Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.8%, but indexes elsewhere rose across much of Asia and Europe.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury eased to 4.39% from 4.42% late Monday.

___

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.

Read More

  • Related Posts

    Wall Street quietly mixed as chip companies continue to lose ground following Wednesday’s sell-off

    U.S. stocks are holding relatively steady after the latest update on the job market suggested the Federal Reserve may feel less pressure to hike interest rates. The S&P 500 rose…

    Street shooting at ‘barbecue party’ puts four people in hospital with one victim fighting for life after gunmen fire from car in Brixton

    One person is fighting for his life in hospital and three others have been injured in a street shooting in Brixton.  Gunshots were fired from a car in the early…

    You Missed

    Melbourne project manager cleared of alleged cocaine and fentanyl smuggling plot: How drug tests turned case upside down after he lost his job

    • By admin
    • July 28, 2026
    • 1 views
    Melbourne project manager cleared of alleged cocaine and fentanyl smuggling plot: How drug tests turned case upside down after he lost his job

    Hero ironman reveals how he leapt into action to save a woman from monster great white at Coogee Beach: ‘Biggest shark I’ve ever seen’

    • By admin
    • July 28, 2026
    • 1 views
    Hero ironman reveals how he leapt into action to save a woman from monster great white at Coogee Beach: ‘Biggest shark I’ve ever seen’

    Five air force crew die as military plane crashes while trying to land at air base in India

    • By admin
    • July 28, 2026
    • 1 views
    Five air force crew die as military plane crashes while trying to land at air base in India

    The great Cotswolds farce: Plan to build 20 affordable homes for residents priced out by millionaires is held up by planning rows for 11 years… with not a SINGLE brick laid

    • By admin
    • July 28, 2026
    • 1 views
    The great Cotswolds farce: Plan to build 20 affordable homes for residents priced out by millionaires is held up by planning rows for 11 years… with not a SINGLE brick laid

    Defence Secretary John Healey pushed for UK to join international investment bank to get much-needed military funds but was blocked by Rachel Reeves

    • By admin
    • July 28, 2026
    • 1 views
    Defence Secretary John Healey pushed for UK to join international investment bank to get much-needed military funds but was blocked by Rachel Reeves

    Restore activists at ‘white supremacy summit’ with neo-Nazis: Evidence emerges on eve of vital by-election that vote for Rupert Lowe’s divisive party is a grave mistake

    • By poster
    • July 27, 2026
    • 2 views
    Restore activists at ‘white supremacy summit’ with neo-Nazis: Evidence emerges on eve of vital by-election that vote for Rupert Lowe’s divisive party is a grave mistake