Stocks opened higher Monday and stayed there through the close as investors looked ahead to a busy week of earnings and economic data. Wall Street also kept an eye out for headlines related to tariffs after President Donald Trump on Sunday said he plans to impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.
Even with news of fresh Trump tariffs, the main benchmarks closed with notable gains. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 1.0% to 19,714, the broader S&P 500 gained 0.7% to 6,066, and the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average tacked on 0.4% to 44,470.
The stock market is showing resilience because investors believe policies from the new administration may be beneficial for equities, says Sameer Samana, head of Global Equities and Real Assets at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.
"With respect to tariffs, markets appear to us to be viewing them as part of a portfolio of policies that includes extending tax cuts, reducing regulation, and generally fostering a pro-business environment," Samana adds.
Trump tariffs lift steel stocks
Drilling down on single stocks, several steelmakers gained ground on Trump's tariff plans. Cleveland Cliffs (CLF), for one, jumped 17.9%, while Nucor (NUE) gained 5.6%.
"The cost increases in steel and aluminum will quite likely cause buyers to seek alternative, cheaper sources, and the only country where steel and aluminum will be 25% cheaper is – you guessed it – America," says Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert Financial. "This is likely to bring demand back to local producers."
Meanwhile, U.S. Steel (X) added 4.8% after President Trump said he would allow Japan's Nippon Steel to invest in the American steelmaker. The Biden administration blocked a $14 billion merger of the two firms earlier this year.
McDonald's leads the Dow on Monday
McDonald's (MCD) was the best Dow Jones stock on Monday, jumping 4.8%, after the fast-food chain reported earnings.
For its fourth quarter, the company reported lower-than-anticipated earnings of $2.83 per share and revenue of $6.39 billion. However, global same-store sales unexpectedly rose 0.4%, while McDonald's also projected slightly higher margins in 2025 "driven by top-line growth and partly offset by continued cost pressures."
Meta's notches its longest winning streak ever
Meta Platforms (META) was another noteworthy gainer on Monday, adding 0.4% after the Facebook parent late Friday announced a new round of layoffs. The company will cut 3,600 positions, which equates to 5% of its staff.
Today marked the mega-cap stock's 16th straight win – the longest such streak since the company's May 2012 initial public offering.
Super Micro soars ahead of earnings
Elsewhere, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) surged 17.6% ahead of the artificial intelligence (AI) server, software and infrastructure company's fiscal second-quarter earnings report, set for release after Tuesday's close.
It's been a rough stretch for Super Micro, which joined the S&P 500 almost one year ago. Shares have lost more than 40% of their value in the past 12 months due in part to accounting woes that caused SMCI to delay filing its fiscal Q1 results last fall.
And Wedbush analyst Matt Bryson sees "substantial unknowns heading into" tomorrow's earnings call. The analyst will be looking for updates on the company's delayed filing and whether or not SMCI can meet the Street's expectations for revenue of $5.9 billion.
Bryson maintained a Neutral (Hold) rating on the tech stock ahead of earnings, echoing the outlook of most covering analysts. Indeed, of the 11 analysts following SMCI tracked by S&P Global Market Intelligence, two say it's a Strong Buy, one calls it a Buy, six have it at Hold, and two say it's a Sell or Strong Sell. This works out to a consensus Hold recommendation.
Powell's congressional testimony on tap
While Monday's economic calendar was bare, things will heat up on Tuesday. Most notable is Fed Chair Jerome Powell's testimony in front of the Senate Banking Committee, which begins at 10 am Eastern Time. On Wednesday, he'll appear in front of the House Financial Services Committee.
Wall Street will be looking to see what Powell has to say on policy moves from the Trump administration – including new tariffs – and if he will provide any color on future rate cuts.
According to CME Group's FedWatch tool, futures traders are currently pricing in a 94% chance the Fed will keep interest rates steady at its next meeting in March.
