S&P 500 (VOO) Live: Trump Administration Blasts Amazon.com, and the S&P 500 Tumbles
Key Points
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The S&P 500 narrowly avoided a loss on Monday, but opened lower on Tuesday before inching towards breakeven.
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Earnings reports are coming in fast and furious, and results look mixed.
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Live Updates
S&P 500 Extends Its Winning Streak
The S&P 500 closed up 0.6% for Tuesday, extending its winning streak to six straight days.
Trade Talks Keep S&P 500 Moving Higher
“Ask, and ye shall receive.” Investors for example have been asking a lot lately, for proof that President Trump’s tariffs threats will result in trade deals that can benefit the U.S. economy. Today, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the conclusion of a trade deal with India is almost set now, with deals with both Japan and South Korea likely to follow in short order.
That’s exactly what investors wanted to hear. The S&P 500 is now up 0.7%, and so is “the Voo.”
Trump Growls, Amazon Caves
Well, that was quick! No sooner had the White House expressed disapproval of an Amazon plan to inform customers of how much tariffs were raising the cost of goods sold on its site, than Amazon has abandoned the plan. Amazon spokesman Tim Doyle has just tossed the idea under the proverbial bus, admitting he “considered the idea” but it “was never approved and not going to happen.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (see above) commented: “Good move,” Amazon.
Tariffs Threaten Supply Chain, Wall Street Shrugs
Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, is warning of a “precipitous drop” in shipments from China as “major American retailers stop … all shipments from China based on the tariffs” announced by President Trump earlier this month. Despite the warning, investors have resumed buying stocks, and the S&P 500 is now in positive territory, up 0.3%.
Stock markets opened lower on Tuesday, threatening to break the S&P 500’s five-day winning streak, although the market is moving back towards breakeven now. The S&P 500 opened 0.3% lower this morning, and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO | VOO Price Prediction) likewise opened down 0.3%.
T In political news, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted a reported plan by Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), to display the cost of wares on its site next to the amount the cost was inflated by tariffs cost, as a “hostile and political act.”
Things could be worse, though. Last night, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick promised to “reward … companies who manufacture domestically” by reducing tariffs on foreign auto parts used to manufacture cars in the U.S. General Motors (NYSE: GM) CEO Mary Barra responded to the news by promising to “invest even more in the U.S. economy.” Ford (NYSE: F) CEO agreed that the move “will help mitigate the impact of tariffs on automakers, suppliers and consumers.”
Earnings
Speaking of General Motors, the automotive giant reported this morning that its Q1 profits came in at $2.78, $0.17 ahead of analyst forecasts. Commercial truckmaker Paccar (Nasdaq: PCAR) on the other hand reported profits $0.14 below forecasts.
In housing, we see LGI Homes (Nasdaq: LGIH) miss badly, but paintmaker Sherwin-Williams (NYSE: SHW) beat.
In airlines, Jetblue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) reported a $0.59 per share loss, but this was $0.02 better than the $0.61 per share loss it was expected to report.
Analyst Calls
Analyst action is so far muted. Swiss bank UBS upgraded cranemaker Crane (NYSE: CR) to buy. Tariffs war and “market uncertainty” notwithstanding, UBS says it’s “increasingly confident in the long-term earnings outlook and M&A opportunity” for the company.
Not everyone’s so confident, however. Already this morning we’re seeing downgrades outnumber upgrades, with Stifel cutting Builders FirstSource (Nasdaq: BLDR) to neutral, Bank of America lowering ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), also to neutral, and TD Cowen downgrading GLP-1 drugs compounder Hims & Hers (NYSE: HIMS) to hold, citing increased competition from Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) and Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), and a lack of near-term catalysts to move the stock higher.
Joel South covers large-cap stocks, dividend investing, and major market trends, with a focus on earnings analysis, valuation, and turning complex data into actionable insights for investors.
He brings more than 15 years of experience as an investor and financial journalist, including 12 years at The Motley Fool, where he served as an investment analyst, Bureau Chief, and later led the Fool.com investing news desk. He has also co-hosted an investing podcast and appeared across TV and radio discussing market trends.
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