Stocks rose Wednesday as new investments from Apple
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
Apple was in the spotlight on Wednesday following multiple news reports said CEO Tim Cook will join President Donald Trump for the announcement of a new "American Manufacturing Program" after market close. The tech giant will also pledge another $100 billion into domestic manufacturing, according to news first reported by Bloomberg on Wednesday, bringing its total U.S. investments over the next four years to $600 billion.
The news overshadowed more tariff uncertainty from the Trump administration, as the president announced he will double the tariff rate on imports from India to 50% due to the nation's use of Russian oil. The additional 25% rate is set to go into effect in 21 days, according to an executive order, while India's previously announced 25% duties will begin on Thursday.
"I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil," Trump said in the order. "Accordingly, and as consistent with applicable law, articles of India imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 25 percent."
Earnings reports also took center stage on Wednesday, with McDonald's
"Reengaging the low-income consumer is critical, as they typically visit our restaurants more frequently than middle- and high-income consumers," CEO Chris Kempczinski told analysts during the company's earnings call. "This bifurcated consumer base is why we remain cautious about the overall near-term health of the U.S. consumer."
Disney
Shares of Advanced Micro Devices
AMD, the second-largest maker of graphics processing units after Nvidia
Elsewhere, the White House is expected to issue an executive order to direct financial regulators to fine banks that are found to have violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, among other antitrust or consumer-protection laws, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. The news comes as Trump told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday that he was rejected as a customer by JPMorgan Chase
Wells Fargo analyst Mike Mayo believes this executive order from the president could benefit banks by increasing their total addressable market.
"This could allow banks to more easily lend to industry segments previously deemed 'impermissible'," the analyst wrote in a note to clients. "Investors and their spokespeople at past annual meetings would ask why the banks were failing to lend to certain activities which were deemed legal. A rule could more easily allow banks to expand lending."
Looking ahead, market participants are in for another busy day of earnings on Thursday, including reports from DoorDash
