US stocks trimmed losses on Thursday, finishing mixed after President Trump’s sweeping tariffs hit dozens of US trade partners. Meanwhile, Trump also previewed coming chip tariffs, suggesting a carveout that could benefit Big Tech companies.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose nearly 0.4% to close at a fresh record, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) ended little changed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) slipped 0.5%.
Stocks trimmed losses after Trump nominated Stephen Miran, the current chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors until Jan. 31, 2026, following Adriana Kugler’s resignation.
Meanwhile, Trump’s deadline for trade deals landed at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday. Imports from nearly 200 countries now face duties ranging from 10% to 50%, and the overall average effective tariff rate is projected to jump to 18.6%, according to the Yale Budget Lab, the highest since 1933.
Apple (AAPL) shares climbed Thursday as Trump and CEO Tim Cook announced the company would make a $100 billion investment in the US. As part of the deal, Apple will manufacture the cover glasses for iPhones and Apple Watches in Kentucky.
At the same time, Trump’s comments that he’d exempt some companies from his plans to place 100% duties on semiconductors gave tech stocks an overall boost for a second consecutive day. Nvidia (NVDA) stock rose around 0.7%.
Meanwhile, another wave of earnings flooded in Thursday morning. The reports featured a tariff warning from Toyota (TM), which said in its first quarter results that the impact of US tariffs will be some $9.5 billion. Among other notable corporate giants to report, Eli Lilly’s (LLY) disappointing results of its much-awaited oral GLP-1 pill trial sent the stock down 14% despite posting better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter.
Also on Thursday, 1.974 million continuing claims for unemployment benefits were filed, reaching their highest level since November 2021. The state of the labor market is in high focus following a disappointing July jobs report and downbeat revisions to the May and June jobs reports.
LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER22 updates
Nasdaq jumps to record after Trump chooses Fed board member
Stocks trimmed losses in the last 20 minutes of trading on Thursday with the Nasdaq Composite closing at a fresh record after President Trump chose Stephen Miran, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, to serve on the board of the Federal Reserve.
The markets seesawed during the session as investors reacted to tariffs on imports from nearly 200 countries.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose nearly 0.4% to close at a fresh record, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) ended little changed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) slipped 0.5%.
On Thursday afternoon, Trump announced he chose Miran following Adriana Kugler’s resignation last Friday.
Trump chooses Stephen Miran to serve on Federal Reserve Board
President Trump chose Stephen Miran, the current chairman of the Council of economic Advisors to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, after Adriana Kugler resigned last Friday.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that I have chosen Dr. Stephen Miran, current Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, to serve in the just vacated seat on the Federal Reserve Board until January 31, 2026,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“In the meantime, we will continue to search for a permanent replacement. Stephen has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University, and served with distinction in my First Administration. He has been with me from the beginning of my Second Term, and his expertise in the World of Economics is unparalleled — He will do an outstanding job. Congratulations Stephen!”
Duolingo stock soars after earnings, forfeits roughly half its gains after OpenAI GPT-5 demo
Gold climbs on trade tensions, hopes of Fed rate cut
Gold (GC=F) futures climbed on Thursday as tariffs on imports from nearly 200 countries rolled out, and investor optimism over potential Fed rate cuts in September grew.
The precious metal rose 0.6% to trade above $3,454 per ounce. Inflows into gold ETFS and central bank purchases have fueled gold purchases over the past year.
Year to date, gold is up about 32%. The prospects of lower interest rates from the Federal Reserve amid a weakening job market have fueled purchases of the precious metal.
Meanwhile, President Trump’s tariff deadline landed on Thursday, and tariffs on imports from a variety of countries now face duties ranging from 10% to 50%. The overall average effective tariff rate is projected to jump to 18.6% this year, according to the Yale Budget Lab, the highest since 1933.
Shareholder warns Apple’s $100 billion investment is more optics than impact
Waller emerges as Fed chair favorite, Bloomberg says
Stocks pared gains in the early morning session after Bloomberg reported Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller is “emerging as a top candidate” to serve as the central bank’s next chair.
Bitcoin, crypto stocks rally ahead of Trump order opening 401(k) plans to alternative assets
Major cryptocurrencies and crypto-related stocks were rallying early Thursday ahead of President Trump’s expected signing of an executive order that would allow alternative assets like cryptocurrencies and private equity into the retirement accounts of millions of Americans, Yahoo Finance’s Jake Conley reports.
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) rose nearly 2%, while ether (ETH-USD) and XRP (XRP-USD) were both up around 4%. Shares of Coinbase (COIN), the largest publicly traded crypto exchange, rose 3.4%. Robinhood (HOOD) and Strategy (MSTR) climbed over 4% and 2.6%, respectively.
Nvidia (NVDA) rose more than 2%, while Broadcom (AVGO) jumped 1.7% and Micron (MU) rose 3.4%.
Most advanced chips are produced by contract chip manufacturer TSMC (TSM) in Taiwan, but the company has been building out its capacity in Arizona, exempting it from Trump’s tariffs. The company’s US-listed shares soared nearly 7% Thursday morning, hitting a record high.
So far, Nvidia has committed to producing $500 billion of AI infrastructure in the US. Micron made a similar $200 billion commitment.
Stocks move higher at the open
US stocks rose at the open on Thursday as President Trump hinted at a carveout for coming tariffs on semiconductors, boosting tech for a second day, just as his tariffs hit dozens of US trading partners.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 0.6%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) was up 0.5%.
Stocks to watch: Apple, Eli Lilly, Taiwan Semiconductor, Fortinet
Here’s a look at some top trending tickers on Thursday ahead of the opening bell:
Continuing claims for unemployment benefits hit highest since November 2021
Americans filing for unemployment insurance on an ongoing basis reached the highest level since November 2021 at the end of July.
In the week ending July 26, 1.974 million continuing claims were filed, up from 1.936 million the week prior and the highest level seen since November 2021, according to data from the Department of Labor released Thursday morning. Economists see an increase in continuing claims as a sign that those out of work are taking longer to find new jobs.
Meanwhile, weekly filings for unemployment benefits moved higher to 226,000 in the week ending Aug. 2, up from 221,000 the week prior.
Intel stock dips as Trump calls for CEO resignation
President Trump on Thursday morning called for the resignation of Intel’s (INTC) CEO Lip‑Bu Tan, who has been at the job since March, saying the executive is “highly conflicted” and should leave his post immediately.
“The CEO of INTEL is highly conflicted and must resign immediately. There is no other solution to this problem. Thank you for your attention to this problem!” wrote Trump on social media.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that US Republican Sen. Tom Cotton sent a letter to the company’s board raising questions about Tan’s ties to Chinese firms and a recent criminal case involving his former company, Cadence Design (CDNS.O).
Intel stock was down as much as 3% in premarket trading.
Eli Lilly stock falls despite earnings beat as oral GLP-1 pill results disappoint
Eli Lilly (LLY) stock fell 7% in premarket trading. Although the company’s second quarter earnings topped expectations, the results of a late-stage trial of its highly anticipated oral GLP-1 pill disappointed.
For the quarter, Eli Lilly reported $15.56 billion in revenue, beating Wall Street estimates of $14.69 billion. Earnings per share came in at $6.31, compared to Street expectations of $5.56.
Much of the $10.81 billion in US revenue was driven by strong sales of weight-loss drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, which increased 46% in volume, though prices fell 8%.
Not too far removed from Figma’s (FIG) huge IPO, Firefly will come to market at the Nasdaq later on today. The IPO was upsized, and it’s likely it will come out of the block strong when it opens.
I am not in love with the company’s financials, but it has a host of key deals in place and its technology has proven to work (see trips to moon). And it has a SpaceX (SPAX.PVT) like story to tell at a hot time for markets. Perfectly timed debut.
I am live with Firefly CEO Jason Kim around 11am ET today from the Nasdaq. Tune into Yahoo Finance!
SoftBank swings to profit on vision fund gains ahead of AI push
Softbank’s (SFTBF, 9984.T, SFTBY) Tokyo shares closed 1% up on Thursday after reporting a bigger profit than expected in the June quarter.
Apple stock rose 3% before the bell on Thursday. Yahoo Finance’s technology editor Daniel Howley and Washington correspondent Ben Werschkul outline the latest developments from the Apple investment announcement on Wednesday.
