U.S. stocks make modest gains, Dow Jones adds 10 points

U.S. stock markets finish in black despite early losses

Lola Evans
19 Feb 2025, 02:46 GMT+10

The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up by 10.26 points to finish at 44,556.34, up 0.02 percent.
Tech-heavy momentum was also evident on the NASDAQ Composite, which gained 14.49 points to settle at 20,041.26, an increase of 0.07 percent.
The Standard and Poor's 500 advanced by 14.95 points to close at 6,129.58, marking an increase of 0.24 percent.

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks crept into the black in late trading Tuesday after spending most of the day in negative territory.

"Overall, the market is still trying to break out of the consolidation it's been in since early December," Chris Larkin, managing director of trading and investing at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley told CNBC Tuesday.

"This week kicks off the retail portion of earnings season, but news out of Washington, especially on the tariff front, could continue to be a wild card for the markets."

The Standard and Poor's 500 advanced by 14.95 points to close at 6,129.58, marking an increase of 0.24 percent on a robust volume of 3.195 billion shares.

In a similar trend, the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up by 10.26 points to finish at 44,556.34, up 0.02 percent with 541.695 million shares changing hands.

Tech-heavy momentum was also evident on the NASDAQ Composite, which gained 14.49 points to settle at 20,041.26, an increase of 0.07 percent on a significant 8.090 billion shares traded.

Cautious demand for U.S. dollars on FX markets

Tuesday's global foreign exchange markets saw modest fluctuations as major currency pairs reflected a bias towards the U.S. dollar which made across-the-board gains.

The US Dollar Index increased by 0.51 points to finish at 107.08, up 0.48 percent.

The Euro / US dollar (EURUSD) fell by 0.36 percent to 1.0445, signaling investor concerns over European economic developments.

In contrast, the US dollar / Japanese yen (USDJPY) climbed by 0.36 percent to trade at 152.03, buoyed by uncertainty surrounding Japan's monetary policies.

Elsewhere, the US dollar / Canadian dollar (USDCAD) edged up by 0.05 percent to 1.4185, while the British pound / US dollar (GBPUSD) experienced a slight decline of 0.17 percent, to 1.2601 amid ongoing uncertainties in the UK economy.

The US dollar / Swiss franc (USDCHF) recorded a gain of 0.33 percent, reaching 0.9035, as investors sought refuge in the Swiss franc's traditionally safe-haven status.

Meanwhile, the Australian dollar / US dollar (AUDUSD) slipped by 0.07 percent to 0.6350, and the New Zealand dollar / US dollar (NZDUSD) dropped by 0.59 percent to settle at 0.5701, reflecting cautious trading in the Pacific region.

Mix of modest gains and losses across Canadian, European, Asian and Oceanic markets

Tuesday's global markets closed with a mixed bag of performances, as European, Asian, and other regional indices reflected modest gains and slight declines.

Canada:

Canadian markets reflected positive sentiment as the S&P/TSX Composite index climbed by 165.61 points to close at 25,648.84, up 0.65 percent on a volume of 289.814 million shares.

UK and Europe:
The FTSE 100 ended the day at 8,766.73, slipping by 1.28 points, a marginal drop of 0.01 percent.

Germany's DAX P advanced by 46.41 points to finish at 22,844.50, up 0.20 percent, while France's CAC 40 inched higher by 17.43 points to close at 8,206.56, a gain of 0.21 percent.

The EURO STOXX 50 I also showed strength, climbing 14.01 points to reach 5,533.84, up 0.25 percent. Meanwhile, the Euronext 100 Index added 1.78 points to settle at 1,603.82, an increase of 0.11 percent, and Belgium's BEL 20 rose by 11.73 points to end at 4,414.04, up 0.27 percent.

Asia:
In Asia, Hong Kong's HANG SENG INDEX surged by 360.58 points to close at 22,976.81, up 1.59 percent, and Singapore's STI Index increased by 20.71 points to finish at 3,925.56, a gain of 0.53 percent.

Japan's Nikkei 225 recorded a modest rise of 96.15 points, closing at 39,270.40, up 0.25 percent, while China's SSE Composite Index fell by 31.34 points to settle at 3,324.49, down 0.93 percent on a volume of 433.349 million shares.

Down under, despite the Reserve Bank of Australia lowering official interest rates for the first time in four years, the S&P/ASX 200 declined by 56.10 points to finish at 8,481.00 Tuesday, a drop of 0.66 percent, and the ALL ORDINARIES index decreased by 55.20 points to close at 8,756.70, down 0.63 percent.

In India, the S&P BSE SENSEX inched lower by 29.47 points to 75,967.39, a slight dip of 0.04 percent.

Malaysia's FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI edged up by 2.08 points to finish at 1,584.84, up 0.13 percent, while New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS dropped by 17.81 points to close at 13,051.12, down 0.14 percent.

South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index gained 16.39 points to end at 2,626.81, up 0.63 percent, and Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index advanced by 160.78 points to settle at 23,666.11, up 0.68 percent.

Middle East and Africa:
In the Middle East, Israel's TA-125 rallied by 38.48 points to close at 2,609.69, up 1.50 percent, while Egypt's EGX 30 Price Return Index added 151.10 points to finish at 30,587.80, gaining 0.50 percent on a volume of 179.964 million.

South Africa's Top 40 USD Net TRI Index also ended in positive territory, rising by 50.75 points to 4,753.96, up 1.08 percent.

Overall, Tuesday's session reflected cautious optimism in some regions and subdued activity in others, with investors remaining attentive to global economic signals amid ongoing market uncertainties.