For the first time in more than a week, the S&P 500 closed lower.
The market benchmark fell 0.3% to snap its streak of closing highs at six days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 204 points, or 0.5%. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.4%.
While a handful of big stocks in the Dow such as UnitedHealth were down on earnings, the S&P and Nasdaq were actually on track to close higher. Then came tariff talk.
“Stocks gave back early gains after [Treasury Secretary Scott] Bessent and Jameison Greer said NO DEAL had been officially reached with China,” writes Mizuho’s Daniel O’Regan. “Oil spiked ~4% after [President Trump] said he shortened the deadline for a Russian ceasefire to 10 days.”
Indeed, WTI crude oil futures jumped 3.7% to $69.21 a barrel, its highest settle value since June 20, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
Magnificent Seven stocks, which drove the market higher on Monday, turned around. Four of the seven—Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Apple, and Amazon.com—will report quarterly results in the coming two days.
The Federal Open Market Committee also kicked off its July meeting. Despite calls from the president to lower interest rates, the central bank is widely expected to hold off on cutting until at least September. Traders see odds of a cut tomorrow at 2.1%, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.
Still, any commentary from Chairman Jerome Powell that sets up a September cut could be a boon for markets—as long as China tariffs don’t revert to April levels.