The benchmark S&P 500 should end next year at 7,500, helped by a resilient U.S. economy and an artificial intelligence-driven “supercycle,” according to Dubravko Lakos-Bujas, J.P. Morgan’s head of global markets strategy. The index ended Tuesday at 6,765.89. If the S&P 500 finishes next year at 7,500, it would mean a gain of 10.9% from here. The forecast is close to the 7,490 median year-end 2026 target in a new Reuters poll of equity strategists. The J.P. Morgan outlook, rel

Víctor Feliu, co-founder of Feliu Chocolate, operates a machine at the company in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 23, 2025. Shipping to the United States is “very difficult if rules are changing every few months,” Feliu said. (César Rodriguez/The New York Times) By NADAV GAVRIELOV The tea farmer in Japan, the shoe company in Montreal, the chocolatier in Mexico: Small businesses around the world have been roiled by President Donald Trump’s constantly changing trade policies. The tra

U.S. stocks climbed to new record levels on Wednesday as investors awaited the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision and a wave of earnings from major technology companies. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6%, the S&P 500 gained 0.2%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 231 points, or 0.5%. All three major indexes reached new all-time intraday highs during the session. Markets remain optimistic that the rally can continue as long as the economy clears several major te

Southbound trucks prepare to cross the Rio Grande into Mexico, at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas, Feb. 1, 2025. Mexico is now the world’s top buyer of U.S. goods, according to data released by the U.S. government on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, outpacing Canada for the first time in nearly 30 years. (Gabriel V. Cárdenas/The New York Times) By JAMES WAGNER Mexico is now the world’s top buyer of U.S. goods, according to data released by the U.S. government Wednesday, outp

Wall Street stocks advanced on Monday, extending Friday’s rally as increased odds that the U.S. Federal Reserve will lower its key Fed funds target rate in December helped investors look past concerns over inflated tech valuations. U.S. indexes embarked on a holiday-shortened week with solid gains, with gains in the “Magnificent Seven” group of artificial intelligence-related momentum stocks sending the tech-heavy Nasdaq up 2.7%. A flurry of economic reports, belatedly releas

Containers line the Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore, Md., June 30, 2025. The steep tariffs President Trump issued in August led to a significant contraction in imports and the trade deficit, newly released data shows. (Alyssa Schukar/The New York Times) By ANA SWANSON President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs took a toll on trade in August, as imports of goods and services dropped 5.1%, to $340.4 billion, after taxes on exports from roughly 90 countries went

With U.S. stocks in the midst of a grim month, investors will look in the coming week for signs of strength in the U.S. consumer with Black Friday putting the spotlight on the holiday shopping season. The rally in stocks has stalled in November, with the benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab declining more than 4% so far during the month. Strong quarterly results from semiconductor giant Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), opens new tab failed on Thursday to calm markets, which have been

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on stage with President Donald Trump after Trump delivered remarks at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center in Washington, on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Some of the most prominent U.S. executives gathered at the Kennedy Center for an event promoting deal-making with the oil-rich kingdom. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times) By LAUREN HIRSCH For years, U.S. executives have traveled to Saudi Arabia in hopes of tapping its deep

The S&P 500 index’s fall below a closely watched level gave hedge funds that trade stocks on trends the green light to potentially sell almost $40 billion in equities in the coming week, Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients seen by Reuters. The S&P 500 declined in value past a threshold of 6,725 on Wednesday. It closed the day at 6,642. Trend-following hedge funds were watching that threshold as a signal to either sell out of their positions, or to add short bets that stoc

By VICTOR MATHER Cloudflare, a company that helps websites secure and manage their internet traffic, experienced issues with its global network, the company said earlier this week, disrupting service for many websites and apps. The company said it believed the problems were mostly resolved around 9:30 a.m. Eastern time Tuesdayº, roughly four hours after issues were first reported. At 12:45 p.m. it said the service was “operating normally.” The company said the cause was a fil