Wall Street today: US stocks edge higher ahead of tariff deadline; Nasdaq gains 50 points, S&P 500 up 0.1%

Wall Street saw modest gains on Wednesday as investors sifted through a wave of corporate earnings to gauge how businesses are coping with President Donald Trump’s tariffs.Nasdaq climbed 60 points or 0.29%, reaching 20,977. S&P 500 followed the trajectory, with a modest rise of 11 points, rising 0.18% to 6310.DJIA, on the contrary, dipped 12 points or 0.03% to reach 44,099 at 7:25 PM IST. There was a flicker of optimism after Trump said Washington was “very close to a deal” to extend the tariffs truce with China. But markets remained cautious, with a new wave of duties on dozens of economies set to kick in from Thursday. Oil prices climbed following Trump’s threat to impose higher tariffs on India over its ongoing purchase of Russian crude oil.On the earnings front, McDonald’s and Shopify saw their shares climb after posting solid profit figures. However, Super Micro Computer slumped sharply as its earnings and revenue fell short of analysts’ expectations. Disney also slipped in early trading, despite reporting profits that beat forecasts, the entertainment giant disappointed investors with weaker-than-expected revenue. The session continued the recent trend of calmer movements in the market, following a period of sharp swings.Earlier on Tuesday, stocks ended slightly lower after a disappointing report on business activity in US service sectors, such as transportation and retail, added to concerns that US President Trump’s tariffs may be weighing on the economy.