U.S. Stocks Edge Up Ahead of Amazon Earnings, Tariff Concerns Linger

U.S. stocks advanced modestly on Thursday as investors awaited Amazon's quarterly results and assessed ongoing corporate earnings and President Donald Trump's trade policy overhaul.

* The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 0.2%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose around 0.3%.
* The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) climbed 0.1% after two consecutive days of gains.
* Tariff concerns, which weighed on stocks earlier in the week, appeared to ease, but investors remained cautious about potential earnings warnings.
* The focus was on Thursday's after-hours report from Amazon (AMZN), following disappointing cloud sales from Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL). The results could impact sentiment towards Big Tech companies and their spending plans.
* Ford (F) shares declined despite beating quarterly earnings estimates due to a muted full-year outlook, citing tariffs as a potential headwind.
* Peloton (PTON) surged after the fitness equipment maker posted better-than-expected sales, partly driven by its partnership with Costco (COST).
* ConocoPhillips (COP) exceeded profit estimates driven by higher production.
* Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that Trump intends to favor lower Treasury yields to reduce borrowing costs rather than relying on the Federal Reserve to cut rates.
* The benchmark 10-year yield (^TNX) traded near its lowest levels since December, around 4.43%.
* Jobless claims rose to 219,000 last week, above estimates, fueling concerns about inflation amidst the risk of increased tariffs.

Trending Tickers

* Peloton (PTON): Soared 23% on strong quarterly sales boosted by its Costco partnership.
* Qualcomm (QCOM): Dipped 5% after reporting better-than-expected earnings but disappointing guidance for its licensing business.
* Honeywell (HON): Fell 4% following the company's announcement of a split into three separate entities.
* Eli Lilly (LLY): Reported mixed earnings with beats in some areas but missed on GLP-1 sales, sending its stock slightly higher.

International Markets

* European stocks rose, led by the FTSE 100 (^FTSE), which climbed 1.6% after the Bank of England cut interest rates as expected.
* The pan-European Stoxx 600 (^STOXX) advanced 0.7%, approaching a new record close.
* In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 (^N225) gained 1.5%, while China's Shanghai Composite (^SSEC) closed flat.

Other News

* Elon Musk and Sam Altman's feud escalates into a potential legal battle.
* Honeywell plans to split into three companies.
* Trump and Musk may clash over a Watergate-era law.
* Saudi Arabia's oil price hike reverses recent losses in crude prices.