US stocks surrendered early gains on Thursday as investors weighed AI demand signals and a prolonged US-China trade war stoked by President Trump.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) flipped from solid gains to a 0.2% loss, even Nvidia (NVDA) and other AI-related stocks floated higher after chip manufacturing giant TSMC’s stellar earnings. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) both fell roughly 0.3%.
Chip stocks were boosted early Thursday after TSMC (TSM) hiked its outlook for 2025 revenue growth for the second time this year, giving hope that surging AI demand will keep on booming.
The go-to contract chipmaker for Nvidia and Apple (AAPL) also reported a nearly 40% surge in quarterly profit in the last quarter, beating estimates and reaching a record. Nvidia, Broadcom (AVGO), Micron (MU), and other AI-related stocks rose.
But the overall choppy market action remains the theme of the week on Wall Street, despite strong quarterly results from Wall Street banks and hints that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again this year.
US-China trade frictions were again in the spotlight after Trump confirmed on Wednesday that tensions with China remain elevated. He told a reporter who asked whether the two countries are headed for a long-lasting trade war, “Well, you’re in one now.” At the same time, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the trade truce between the two could be extended.
The conflicting messages follow a series of threats by Trump to further restrict trade with China in response to new sanctions and export controls from Beijing, as well as to impose additional 100% tariffs in November.
Another headwind, the US government shutdown, entered its third week. The stoppage, which has deprived the Fed and Wall Street of key data on the economy, is increasingly expected to continue into November.
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