U.S. stocks close higher on continuous optimism

China

U.S. stocks close higher on continuous optimism

2025-07-26 10:55 Last Updated At：11:07

U.S. stocks finished higher on Friday, buoyed by strong corporate earnings and encouraging developments on the trade front.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 208.01 points or 0.47 percent to 44,901.92. The Standard and Poor's 500 gained 25.29 points or 0.4 percent to reach a new high of 6,388.64. The Nasdaq Composite rose 50.36 points or 0.24 percent to end at 21,108.32, marking its 15th record close of 2025.

Most sectors in the Standard and Poor's 500 ended the day in positive territory, with materials and industrials leading the gainers by rising 1.17 percent and 0.98 percent, respectively. Energy and communication services declined slightly.

The market's recent rally has been driven in large part by a better-than-expected earnings season. Alphabet's growth contributed to investor optimism, and Verizon also rose after posting earnings that surpassed expectations.

As of now, 169 Standard and Poor's 500 companies have reported earnings, with more than 82 percent beating analysts' forecasts, according to FactSet.

Among megacap tech stocks, Tesla rebounded with a 3.52 percent gain after a steep drop the previous day. Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet and Broadcom also advanced modestly, while Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Amazon edged lower.

Looking ahead, a busy week is expected, with major tech earnings on deck: more than 150 Standard and Poor's 500 companies, including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Meta, are all set to report their earnings next week. A decision from the Federal Reserve on interest rates will be made, and key reports on economic growth and inflation are going to be focused.

Additionally, markets are anticipating potential trade announcements ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline, when the United States is scheduled to impose steep tariffs.

U.S. President Donald Trump indicated Friday that more deals could be finalized in the coming days, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed plans to meet with Trump in Scotland on Sunday to discuss trade.

South China's Guangxi sees 10-pct growth in trade with ASEAN in Jan-Nov period

South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region saw a year-on-year growth of 10 percent in trade with countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from January to November this year, according to Nanning Customs.

In the first 11 months of 2025, Guangxi's imports and exports with ASEAN members reached 384.22 billion yuan (about 54.46 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 52.9 percent of the provincial-level region's total foreign trade during this period, said the authority.

Among them, Vietnam remained Guangxi's largest trading partner in the ASEAN region, with trade growing by 7.1 percent. The growth rates with Indonesia and Singapore were also remarkable, standing at 51.7 percent and 62.7 percent respectively.

During the same period, Guangxi imported and exported a total of 726.54 billion yuan worth of goods, increasing by 9.5 percent year on year, the customs data showed.