📊 Market Pulse – Wall Street Climbs as Earnings Shine Amid Trade Turbulence

📈 Market Overview

On April 29, 2025, U.S. stock markets closed higher, buoyed by robust corporate earnings despite ongoing trade uncertainties. The S&P 500 rose by 0.6% to 5,560.83, marking its sixth consecutive gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.7% to 40,527.62, while the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.5% to 17,461.32 .AP News

🏭 Corporate Earnings Highlights

• General Motors (GM): Reported strong Q1 earnings with $2.78 EPS and $44.02 billion in revenue, surpassing estimates. However, the company delayed its earnings call and guidance update due to uncertainty over auto tariffs .Investopedia
• UPS: Exceeded expectations with $1.49 EPS and $21.5 billion in revenue but withheld its full-year outlook amid trade uncertainties .Investopedia
• Coca-Cola: Surpassed EPS expectations at $0.73 despite a 2% drop in revenue to $11.1 billion, noting that tariff effects appear manageable .Investopedia

🌐 Trade Developments

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced progress on a trade deal with an unnamed country, providing a late-day boost to markets. However, the broader trade war with China showed no signs of resolution, with Chinese officials asserting their resistance to U.S. pressure .WSJ

📉 Economic Indicators

Despite the day’s gains, markets remain down for the year. Year-to-date figures show the S&P 500 down 5.5%, the Dow down 4.7%, and the Nasdaq down 9.6%, reflecting broader economic concerns and market volatility .AP News

💼 Employment Trends

Several major companies announced significant layoffs in 2025, including Meta, UPS, Wayfair, and Morgan Stanley. These job cuts are largely driven by cost-reduction strategies and organizational restructuring to improve efficiency .Business Insider

📊 ETF Performance

• SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY): Closed at $566.76, up 0.15%.
• Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (QQQ): Closed at $488.83, up 0.20%.
• SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA): Closed at $413.04, up 0.13%.

🔮 Looking Ahead

Investors are closely monitoring upcoming economic reports, including GDP and inflation data, as well as the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting. The trajectory of trade negotiations and corporate earnings will continue to influence market sentiment in the coming weeks.