U.S. Markets Stagnate as Investors Grapple with Fresh Tariff Turmoil
Wall Street's pulse flatlines—tariff jitters freeze traders in their tracks.
### The Waiting Game
No big swings, no dramatic plunges—just a market holding its breath. The S&P 500 might as well be a still-life painting.
### Tariff Tango
Another day, another geopolitical curveball. This time it's trade wars—because apparently 2018 wasn't chaotic enough.
### Cynic's Corner
Meanwhile, hedge funds are 'strategically repositioning' (read: panicking quietly into their artisanal lattes).
Nvidia surge helps Nasdaq to record high
Nvidia’s run to staggering heights in terms of market cap has aligned with the artificial intelligence chipmaker’s massive stock price surge.
While NVDA has jumped 13% in the past month and 17% year-to-date, it has soared some 1,454% in the past five years and has been in an uptrend since breaking above $31.50 in November 2021. The AI chipmaker’s stock closed 1.8% higher on July 9, 2025, trading at $162 and helping the Nasdaq Composite hit a new record high .
Comparatively, the S&P 500 has advanced 6.7% year-to-date and 96% in the past five years.
Investor focus will be on the next moves on the tariffs front, particularly around deals with U.S. trade partners China, the United Kingdom, India, and the European Union. TRUMP has also threatened an additional 10% tariff on BRICS countries.
Also attracting market attention will be U.S. weekly jobless claims and the Federal Reserve’s next MOVE regarding interest rates. Positive news around these factors may help dilute any potential headwinds from the global trade war.
While analysts have noted a potential sell signal for the S&P 500 as it looks to rally above 6,300, some experts are forecasting a continuation.
“This is a broad-based global bull market and we don’t think it’s slowing down anytime soon,” Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, told CNBC.
The bullish sentiment also engulfs the cryptocurrency market, with Bitcoin (BTC) rising to a new all-time high above $112k. Altcoins are also largely up.
Meanwhile, oil is down 1.5% around $67 and Gold is poised near $3,335.
