Stock market today: S&P 500 pares gains to close slightly higher amid tariff woes

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Investing.com-- The S&P 500 closed slightly Thursday after giving up the bulk of gains as ongoing tariff uncertainty prompted profit taking in a holiday-shortened week. 

At 4:00 p.m. ET (21:00 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 527 points, or 1.3%, while the S&P 500 index gained 0.2%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.1%. Markets will be closed on Friday to observe the Good Friday holiday.

The major U.S. indexes are all heading for a weekly decline, with the Nasdaq Composite very close to bear market territory.

Unitedhealth cuts profit forecast; Google in legal setback

There were more quarterly corporate earnings to digest Thursday, headlined by hefty losses by Unitedhealth, the largest U.S. health insurance company. Its stock dropped 22% after the health insurer cut its annual profit forecast in anticipation of higher-than-expected medical costs.

Elsewhere, Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) stock rose 14% after the drugmaker disclosed positive Phase 3 trial results for orforglipron, a pioneering oral medication for type 2 diabetes.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) stock rose 0.8% after the asset manager reported a higher-than-expected profit for the first quarter, driven by proceeds from asset sales across its private equity and credit businesses.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) stock gave up gains to close marginally higher after the world’s largest contract chipmaker posted a 60% jump in first-quarter net profit, helped by surging demand for semiconductors used in artificial intelligence applications.

Hertz Global Holdings (OTC:HTZGQ) Inc (NASDAQ:HTZ) added to its 56% gain from a day earlier after Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square become the second-largest shareholder in the car rental company.  

Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ:GOOGL), meanwhile, fell 1.4% after a judge ruled that Google operates an illegal digital advertising monopoly.  

Trade negotiations show progress

Away from the corporate sector, U.S. President Donald Trump declared "big progress" in negotiations with Japan in Washington, raising optimism that there could be negotiated settlements between the U.S. and its major trading partners over tariffs, avoiding an all-out global trade war. 

Japan was the first major trading partner to negotiate directly with the United States, and could be seen as a test case for the many countries reportedly seeking better terms on these U.S. tariffs.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has indicated that she wants “to give negotiations a chance”, while Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that China is open to beginning trade talks with the Trump administration, but is demanding that the White House show more respect and stem disparaging remarks about its cabinet members.

Trump criticizes Powell, again

Fed Chair Powell on Wednesday said that the Fed was not inclined to cut interest rates in the near future, citing the inflationary pressures and economic uncertainties introduced by the new tariffs. 

"Our obligation is to keep longer-term inflation expectations well anchored and to make certain that a one-time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem," Powell said in prepared remarks at the Economic Club of Chicago.

Trump doubled down on his earlier criticism of Powell and suggested that he could remove the Fed chairman.  “If I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me,” Trump said. 

The remarks came after the president referred to Powell as "Too Late" in his post, stating that "Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!" 

Powell’s term as chair is set to continue until May 2026, and his term as a governor is expected to last until February 2028. Trump’s recent criticism of the Fed echoes the sentiments he expressed during his first term as president. 

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, suggesting labor market conditions remained stable in April, while U.S. single-family homebuilding plunged to an eight-month low in March.

(Peter Nurse, Ayushman Ojha contributed to this article.)