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S&P 500 INDEX (SPX) Live: Broader Markets Rise on Trade Deal Domino Effect

Gerelyn Terzo

Published: May 9, 2025 10:09 am

Last Updated: May 9, 2025 1:54 pm

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BofA: Buy the Rumor, Sell the News

1:50 pm by Gerelyn Terzo

Bank of America has published a report urging investors to buy the trade deal anticipation but sell the news. BofA Chief Investment Strategist Michael Hartnett warned that the trade deal details could revert back to Liberation Day levels, writing, “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 under pressure as the markets err on the side of caution.

Trade Deal Uncertainty

12:11 pm by Gerelyn Terzo

China’s commerce minister has come out swinging against the White House, saying the nation strongly opposes what he described as “U.S. abuse” of reciprocal tariffs. Earlier today, President Trump proved that he was willing to lower tariffs on China imports to 80% from a triple-digit percentage level. Washington, D.C. and Beijing officials are expected to come to the negotiating table over the weekend. Stocks are under pressure on the trade deal uncertainty.

Aimless Markets

11:07 am by Gerelyn Terzo

Today’s gains have faded as traders hold out for closure on a trade agreement between the U.S. and China. The three major indices are now trading mixed, including a 0.06% gain in the S&P 500, 0.13% gain in the Nasdaq Composite and 0.13% decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Markets are likely to continue trading aimlessly until the White House and Beijing sign on the dotted line.

S&P 500 This Week

10:15 am by Gerelyn Terzo

Despite today’s gains, the S&P 500 remains modestly lower for the week, with a 0.06% decline as of Friday morning. There’s still time for the index to push even higher, especially if the White House announces further tariff agreements with international trade partners. CNBC reported that the broader market index remains mired below a key resistance level, making it difficult for it to break out higher.

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

Tariffs are having a live by the sword, die by the sword effect, and today that is translating to gains. President Trump revealed that he is willing to slash tariffs on China imports from over 100% to 80%, saying that level seems reasonable as Washington, D.C. gears up for negotiations with Beijing. Stocks are rightfully cautiously optimistic on the development, with all three of the major stock market averages headed higher this morning but keeping it modest. The SPX ETF is gaining 0.25% as of morning trading.

China could be the first of many tariff deals in the works with U.S. trade partners, according to the White House, further lifting market sentiment. Most sectors of the economy are moving higher, led by the energy, consumer discretionary and technology sectors.

Magnificent Seven stocks are participating in the gains, with Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) rising 1% while Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) is adding 6.8%. TSLA stock is on its way to reclaiming a $1 trillion market cap. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is being lifted in part by Boeing (NYSE: BA) stock on a desirable 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 82.49 (+0.20%)
Nasdaq Composite: Up 114.14 (+0.63%)
S&P 500: Up 22.51 (+0.40%)

Market Movers

Palantir Technologies (Nasdaq: PLTR) might be a volatile play, but it’s also one of the leading tech stocks. As of Thursday, Palantir was added to the top-10 most valuable technology plays in the U.S. market, with a market capitalization of $281.1 billion. Comparatively, Salesforce’s (NYSE: CRM) market cap currently hovers below that level at $268.4 billion. PLTR stock is taking it on the chin today, down fractionally.

Ad-tech platform The Trade Desk (Nasdaq: TTD) is skyrocketing by over 20% today after reporting strong Q1 results. Revenue soared 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 climbing 20.3% higher 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.

Expedia Group (Nasdaq: EXPE) is down 7.3% on the day on a Wall Street downgrade to “underweight” by Piper Sandler analysts.