NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting in mixed trading Tuesday as stronger-than-expected profits keep piling higher for companies, while CEOs also say they're unsure how long that can last because of uncertainty around President Donald Trump's trade war.
The S&P 500 rose 0.1% in afternoon trading, coming off a five-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 159 points, or 0.4%, as of 12:52 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.
Much like the broader market, UPS stock swung between losses and gains at the day's start of trading after it reported a stronger profit than analysts expected for the first three months of 2025. Because it's the world's largest package delivery company, UPS can offer a window into how the global economy is doing.
But UPS also said it wasn’t updating its financial forecasts previously given for 2025 because of “the current macro-economic uncertainty.” It also said it expects to cut about 20,000 jobs and close 73 buildings this year as part of a cost-cutting effort that CEO Carol Tomé said “could not be timelier.” Its stock was down 0.8%.
Investors fear Trump’s tariffs could bring a recession if left unaltered because they could freeze global trade and send prices higher for all kinds of products. Trump's on-again-off-again rollout could also by itself throw into disarray the long-term plans for spending and investment by businesses and households.
U.S. households are getting much more pessimistic because of tariffs, and a report from the Conference Board on Tuesday said their expectations for income, business and job market conditions dropped to the lowest level since 2011 and are well below the level that usually signals a recession ahead.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said such economic uncertainty is a tool Trump can use as he negotiates tariffs and trade deals. "President Trump creates what I would call strategic uncertainty in the negotiations," he told reporters at the White House.
The latest zigzag may be arriving for the U.S. auto industry after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will sign an executive order Tuesday relaxing some of his 25% auto tariffs.
General Motors nevertheless sank 1.4% despite reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company rescheduled a conference call with investors to discuss its results and forecasts for 2025 to Thursday because of "recent reports regarding updates to trade policy."
JetBlue Airways bounced between losses and gains after CEO Joanna Geraghty said the airline was puling its financial forecasts for the full year given “the macroeconomic uncertainty.” The airline also delivered a stronger profit than expected for the latest quarter, and its stock was most recently up 2.8%.
Honeywell International rallied 4.6% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Perhaps more importantly for investors, it also raised its forecast for full-year profit.
"Though we have not yet seen it in our results, we recognize we face an uncertain global demand environment for the remainder of 2025, and our company will work tirelessly, leveraging all tools available to us, to deliver for customers and shareholders,” CEO Vimal Kapur said.
Sherwin-Williams rose 5.1% after the paint and coatings company also beat analysts' expectations for profit in the first quarter. CEO Heidi Petz said it expects to see softness from some of its customers continue to persist well into the second half of this year, but she also said that her company gets the majority of its raw materials from the regions where it manufactures. That could help blunt the possible blow from tariffs.
Coca-Cola was ticking higher after reporting better-than-expected earnings in the first quarter and saying the impact of tariffs on its business are likely to be “manageable.” The beverage giant updated some of its financial forecasts for the year but left alone its guidance for an important underlying measure of revenue growth. Its stock added 0.7%
In the bond market, Treasury yields fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped to to 4.17% from 4.23% late Monday.
Not only did the report on consumer confidence come in weaker than expected, so did an update on how many job openings U.S. employers were advertising at the end of March. Such weaker-than-expected data could eventually push the Federal Reserve to resume cutting interest rates in order to give the economy a boost.
Yields have largely been sinking since an unsettling, unusual spurt higher earlier this month rattled both Wall Street and the U.S. government. That rise had suggested investors worldwide may have been losing faith in the U.S. bond market's reputation as a safe place to park cash.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed amid mostly modest moves across Europe and Asia.
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AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
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