U.S. Stocks Mixed Ahead of Amazon Earnings, Investors Assess Earnings Season and Trump's Policy Overhaul

On Thursday, U.S. stocks traded in a mixed manner as investors awaited Amazon's (AMZN) quarterly results, evaluated the ongoing earnings season, and monitored President Donald Trump's fast-paced policy changes.

Market Overview

* The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell by 0.3%.
* The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose by over 0.3%.
* The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) gained 0.5%.

Key Earnings Reports

* Investors eagerly awaited Amazon's quarterly report, due after the bell, following the disappointment of Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) cloud sales.
* Salesforce (CRM) shares declined after the software giant announced management changes.
* Honeywell (HON) shares fell after the conglomerate confirmed its plan to divide into three separate companies.

Economic Data

* Jobless claims rose to 219,000 last week, slightly above estimates of 213,000.
* This data point comes ahead of the monthly jobs report on Friday, as investors seek clues for Fed decision-making amid concerns about inflation.

Treasury Yield and Federal Reserve

* Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent eased pressure on the Federal Reserve, stating that Trump aims to reduce 10-year Treasury yields to lower borrowing costs rather than push for lower interest rates.
* The benchmark 10-year yield (^TNX) traded near its lowest levels since December, around 4.43%.

Global Markets

* European stocks gained, with the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) surging after the Bank of England's interest rate cut to 4.5%.
* Oil prices rebounded after Saudi Arabia's price increase for March, with Brent crude futures (BZ=F) and West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) rising.

Notable Mentions

* Artificial intelligence (AI) mentions are at an all-time high on earnings calls, with companies leveraging AI for revenue generation.
* Arm and Qualcomm shares fell as investors wait for AI to drive increased demand for consumer devices using their chips.
* Ford shares dropped significantly after issuing muted full-year guidance amid concerns about tariffs on imports.