United States equities edged lower on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) as investors assessed earnings results amid easing market turbulence.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 155.8 points or 0.4%, to 40,369.0, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2% to 5,396.6, and the Nasdaq Composite eased 0.1% to close at 16,823.2.
Market volatility showed signs of easing, with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), Wall Street’s primary fear gauge, dropping to around 30 after reaching 60 last week.
Financial stocks offered support to the broader market. Bank of America rose 3.6% and Citigroup added 1.8% after both banks posted better-than-expected quarterly results.
However, Boeing fell 2.4% after Bloomberg reported that China had instructed domestic airlines to halt new purchases of its aircraft.
Investor focus now shifts to earnings from major names like UnitedHealth and Netflix due later this week.
Markets had rallied in recent days after U.S. Customs and Border Protection provided clarity on exemptions from incoming tariffs, particularly for electronic goods such as smartphones, computers, and semiconductors.
President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also hinted on Sunday that such exemptions might be short-lived, keeping investors on edge.
On the bond markets, 10-year and 2-year yields eased 1% and 0.1% to 4.339% and 3.851%, respectively.