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Live Nasdaq Composite: Markets Rise as China Tariffs Do This

Gerelyn Terzo

Published: May 9, 2025 9:44 am

Last Updated: May 9, 2025 1:47 pm

Live Updates

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Buy the Rumor

1:41 pm by Gerelyn Terzo

Bank of America has issued a report advising investors to buy the trade deal anticipation but sell the news. BofA Chief Investment Strategist Michael Hartnett wrote, “Oversold equities have correctly front-run Q2 trade deals/lower tariffs. We expect ‘buy the expectation, sell the fact,’ stocks fade into the trade deals.” The White House is expected to meet with China officials on potentially reaching a trade agreement over the weekend. Stocks remain lower out of caution.

Markets Hold Back

12:09 pm by Gerelyn Terzo

China’s government officials have come out swinging against the White House, saying they strongly opposes what they described as “U.S. abuse” of reciprocal tariffs. Earlier today, President Trump revealed that he was willing to reduce tariffs on China imports to 80% from a triple-digit percentage level. Washington, D.C. and Beijing officials are set to come to the negotiating table this weekend. Stocks are lower on the trade deal uncertainty.

Markets Reverse Course

10:52 am by Gerelyn Terzo

The stock market has reversed course, leaving all three of the major stock market averages in the red after coming out of the gate higher on China trade deal hopes. Traders and investors appear to be playing it cautiously until the White House and Beijing sign on the dotted line. Market declines are modest, including a 0.07% drop in the Nasdaq Composite. At this rate, stocks are likely to continue meandering between positive and negative ground for now.

Weekly Performance

9:44 am by Gerelyn Terzo

The Nasdaq Composite is on pace for a fractional gain today and  has advanced a more impressive 7.9% over the past month. Year-to-date, the tech-heavy index is still lower by 6%. Over the past five trading sessions, Broadcom (Nasdaq: AVGO) has gained 5% while Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has lost 7.4%.

This article will be updated throughout the day, so check back often for more daily updates.

The markets are looking to end the week on a positive note after getting some good news on the trade war. President Trump revealed that he is willing to slash tariffs on China imports from a triple-digit percentage to 80%, saying that level seems appropriate as the White House gears up for talks with Beijing. Stocks appear to be cautiously optimistic on the development, with all three of the major stock market averages headed higher this morning.

While China has been the wildcard, the Trump administration suggested that multiple agreements are being reached with U.S. trade partners, injecting further optimism into these markets. Most sectors of the economy are seeing green, led by the energy, consumer discretionary and technology sectors.

Magnificent Seven stocks are lifting the Nasdaq Composite higher, including a 1% gain in Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) and 2.5% jump in Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA). The Dow Jones Industrial Average is also getting a pop from Boeing (NYSE: BA) stock on a strong Dreamliners jet order from the British Airways parent company. BA stock is up 1.4%.

Here’s a look at the performance as of morning trading:

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Up 114.55 (+0.26%)
Nasdaq Composite: Up 102.00 (+0.57%)
S&P 500: Up 24.36 (+0.41%)

Market Movers

Palantir Technologies (Nasdaq: PLTR) might be a volatile play, but that is what it takes to trade as one of the leading tech stocks. As of yesterday, Palantir has muscled its way into the top 10 most valuable technology plays in the U.S. market, boasting a market capitalization of $281.1 billion. By way of comparison, Salesforce’s (NYSE: CRM) market cap currently hovers at a lesser $268.4 billion. PLTR stock is down 1% today on profit taking.

Ad-tech platform The Trade Desk (Nasdaq: TTD) is soaring 22.8% today after reporting strong Q1 results. Revenue ballooned by 25% to $616 million. Earlier this month, RBC maintained a buy rating on the stock with a price target of $85 per share, reflecting upside potential of 41%.

Lyft (Nasdaq: LYFT) stock is rising today after lifting its Q2 forecast and initiating a $750 million share buyback program. Most Wall Street analysts have a “hold” rating on the stock.

Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN) is taking a breather after announcing a blockbuster deal to acquire options trading platform Deribit in a $2.9 billion deal, thrusting it into the crypto derivatives realm.