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US stock losses intensified on Wednesday as the White House confirmed President Trump would announce new auto tariffs.
The benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) was down more than 1.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell about 0.5%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) led the losses, sliding over 2%. Tech leaders Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA) were both down more than 5%.
Stocks are on shifting sands as markets respond to changes in tone from Trump on coming tariffs. The White House press secretary said Wednesday that Trump would hold a press conference at 4 p.m. ET to announce new tariffs on auto imports, hitting Tesla and other auto stocks like GM (GM) and Ford (F).
Meanwhile, Wall Street is focused on how “flexible” Trump will be in the reciprocal duties set to take effect on April 2.
In another tone shift, Trump told Newsmax on Tuesday that he “doesn’t want to have too many exceptions” to the levies — a potential swing back to the hard line seen earlier in March. Those threats directed at the EU and Canada fueled a sell-off that pushed the S&P 500 into correction territory.
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Read more: The latest on Trump’s tariffs
Also, the White House appears to be accelerating its plans for copper levies. Tariffs on copper imports could be coming within several weeks, months ahead of a deadline for implementing the measures, Bloomberg reported. Copper (HG=F) prices surged to a record on the heels of the news.
In corporates, GameStop (GME) stock jumped over 13% after the video game retailer’s approval of a plan to buy bitcoin (BTC-USD) with its cash holdings.
Orders for durable goods came in stronger than expected in February, data released Wednesday showed. The 0.9% rise topped expectations for a drop of 1% but undershot January’s 3.3% reading.
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Microsoft stock slips on reports its cutting back on data center leases
Microsoft (MSFT) stock hit its lows of the day, down more than 1%, after TD Cowen analysts said in a research note the tech giant has abandoned some data center projects in both the US and Europe.
Reuters reported that Microsoft walked away from projects that were set to use 2 gigawatts of electricity due to “an oversupply relative to its current demand forecast.”
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GM, Ford, Tesla stocks sink as new auto tariffs loom
The White House press secretary confirmed that President Trump is set to unveil new auto tariffs during a 4 p.m. press conference on Wednesday.
The looming tariffs sent auto stocks tumbling to session lows. GM (GM) and Ford (F) were down over 1.5%, while Tesla (TSLA) sank almost 6%, giving back a chunk of its rally over the past several sessions.
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Wall Street is souring on stocks — but it still likes the ‘Magnificent 7’
Another Wall Street strategist lowered their outlook for the S&P 500 on Wednesday.
Barclays cuts its year-end S&P 500 target to 5,900 from a prior forecast of 6,600. Barclays head of US equity strategy Venu Krishna cited slower economic activity and higher inflation weighing on the outlook for US corporates, a common call on the Street, as strategists have moved to match their stock market call with their economics teams worsening expectations for US economic growth.
What hasn’t been a feature in many of these calls is a more bearish outlook for the “Magnificent Seven” and Big Tech more broadly. This stands out given that bullishness on tech and artificial intelligence drove S&P 500 targets higher over the past two years and has also led to the recent 10% correction in the benchmark index.
“Elevated capex is a clear and present risk amid ongoing concerns around AI monetization, but [Big Tech] valuations are the most reasonable in almost two years after the group led the recent selloff, and we think they will still deliver solid earnings growth this year,” Krishna wrote in his Wednesday note.
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The S&P 500 just reclaimed its 200-day moving average — but history says it may not be a good thing
For the first time in over a week, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) closed above its 200-day moving average on Tuesday. The 200-day moving average provides a measure of long-term market sentiment.
But if history (or the benchmark index’s move lower on Wednesday, for that matter) is any indicator, the recent stability may prove fleeting.
Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi reports:
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Bloomberg reports Trump auto tariffs could come ‘as soon as Wednesday’
A Bloomberg report that President Trump’s auto tariff announcement could come “as soon as Wednesday” sent stocks into a tizzy on Wednesday afternoon.
All three major averages hit their session lows. Auto stocks like Ford (F) and GM (GM) moved lower, though by less than 1%. Instead of a sector-specific hit, the market’s biggest losers appeared to be a further unwind of the momentum trade that has led markets lower over the past month.
Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA) both hit their lows for the day, falling more than 5%. Meta (META) slid over 2%. Palantir (PLTR), another headliner of the recent drawdown, fell more than 4%. On a sector basis, Consumer Discretionary (XLY) and Information Technology (XLK) were the only sectors underperforming the S&P 500.
At the first move, Wednesday’s market action showed that the reality more tariffs might actually be implemented is hurting the market’s high-flying names more than the direct sectors that could see profits impacted by the new duties.
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Dollar Tree stock jumps on $1 billion sale of Family Dollar
Yahoo Finance’s Brooke DiPalma reports:
Investors are taking a positive view of Dollar Tree’s (DLTR) sale of the flagging Family Dollar business and mixed fourth quarter results that depicted a stressed consumer.
Dollar Tree stock jumped about 4% in early trading after the discount retailer shared its plans to sell Family Dollar to two private equity firms, Brigade Capital Management and Macellum Capital Management, for $1 billion.
Dollar Tree acquired the Family Dollar brand in 2015 for a grand price tag of $9 billion after it outbid rival Dollar General (DG) to win the chain.
“I strongly believe selling Family Dollar and returning to our roots with an expanded assortment at Dollar Tree has created material value,” CEO Michael Creedon told investors. “2025 is going to be a transition year as we pivot to operating Dollar Tree as a standalone entity.”
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Can Tesla’s reputation be saved? A crisis management expert weighs in.
Tesla (TSLA) stock was down almost 4% on Wednesday, reversing course after several days of rebounding.
Yahoo Finance’s Pras Subramanian reports on whether the electric vehicle maker can save its souring public image:
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Durable goods orders rise more than expected in February
Orders for durable goods rose 0.9% in February, well above economists’ expectations for a 1% decline in the month.
Meanwhile, core capital goods orders fell 0.3% in February, below the 0.2% expected, while shipments of capital goods increased 0.9%, higher than the 0.2% economists had expected.
The metrics are closely watched, as they feed into the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But following Wednesday’s release, economists at Goldman Sachs wrote that they left their first quarter GDP forecast of 1.3% annualized growth for the US economy “unchanged.”
Renaissance Macro head of economics Neil Dutta described the durable goods release as “welcome” but questioned whether the increase will last, as uncertainty around President Trump’s policies has weighed on sentiment among businesses.
“Between slower growth to begin the year with rising uncertainty to kick-off the administration’s economic policy agenda, business investment intentions have cooled off,” Dutta wrote. “In short, I would not expect this capex recovery to last.”
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Nasdaq slips at the open
US stocks were mixed on Wednesday, largely holding near recent gains as investors looked to President Trump’s latest comments for more clarity on the scope of looming tariffs.
The benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) was roughly flat, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose about 0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) slid more than 0.4%.
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Tesla stock falls 1.5% premarket, on track to snap 5-day win streak
Tesla stock (TSLA) looked poised to break its recent winning streak Wednesday, with shares of the electric vehicle maker down 1.5% in premarket trading.
Tesla has been battling a succession of concerns lately, including tumbling sales in Europe, tariff concerns, the growing unpopularity of CEO Elon Musk’s role in government, and protests at dealerships. As one crisis PR management expert told Yahoo Finance’s Pras Subramanian of the controversy around Musk, “It’s almost impossible to be a politically divisive figure while running a consumer brand.”
Year to date, Tesla stock is now down 28%. But it has looked to stage a comeback. Over the past week, the stock is up just as much, surging 12% on Monday alone.
An all-hands meeting last week in which Musk assured the company (and investors) he is “back in the building” seemed to help the stock. And as Yahoo Finance’s Hamza’s Shaban wrote in today’s Morning Brief, Tesla’s biggest backers have largely kept the faith in what many consider a faith-based stock.
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Dollar Tree release earnings after announcing $1B Family Dollar sale
Shares in the low cost retailer, Dollar Tree (DLTR) rose by almost 3% on Wednesday before the bell, after the company released it’s earnings and announced plans to sell its Family Dollar business to a consortium of private-equity investors for $1 billion.
The discount-retail chain, which Dollar Tree bought in 2015 for about $9 billion, will be acquired by Brigade Capital Management and Macellum Capital Management.
Dollar Tree also reported its fourth quarter earnings on Wednesday. Net sales increased 4.7% to $17.6 billion. Dollar Tree’s same-store sales increased 1.8%, driven by a 1.6% increase in traffic and a 0.1% increase in average ticket.
Gross profit increased 4.5% to $6.3 billion and gross margin was flat at 35.8%.
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Copper surges to a record on report that tariffs are weeks away
Copper (HG=F) prices surged to a record high in New York on the heels of a Bloomberg report that Trump may be just weeks away from implementing tariffs on the industrial metal.
Futures on the Comex touched an all-time high of $5.374 a pound earlier on Wednesday and were last trading at around $5.261.
Traders have been trying to front-run potential US duties on copper imports, causing a huge wave of demand that has spurred a roaring rally for the metal.
Bloomberg reports:
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Barclays becomes latest Wall Street bank to slash its outlook on stocks
Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi reports:
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Good morning. Here’s what’s happening today.
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GameStop stock pops after company confirms plans to buy bitcoin
GameStop (GME) stock continued to gain on Wednesday and rose 13% in premarket trading after the company approved a plan to purchase bitcoin (BTC-USD) with its cash holdings.
Yahoo Finance’s Josh Schafer reports:
