Wall Street stocks closed marginally up on Monday as investors sidestepped any meaningful moves following US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats, and held steady ahead of a busy week of economic data and the start of earnings season.
Trump ramped up trade tensions over the weekend, vowing to slap a 30 percent tariff on most imports from the European Union and Mexico starting August 1 – leaving the clock ticking for last-minute trade deals.
The EU extended its pause on retaliatory measures until early August, holding out hope for a negotiated truce. The White House said talks with the EU, Canada and Mexico are still underway.
Despite the headlines, investor reaction was muted, having grown numb to Trump’s barrage of tariff threats and his frequent last-minute U-turns.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 88.14 points, or 0.20 percent, to 44,459.65, the S&P 500 gained 8.81 points, or 0.14 percent, at 6,268.56 and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 54.80 points, or 0.27 percent, to 20,640.33.
Trading volume was also subdued, with 15.43 billion shares changing hands, compared with the 17.62 billion average for the last 20 trading days. (Reuters)