The US markets ended mostly higher on Tuesday, powered by a number of positive earnings results. Investors welcomed strong corporate earnings reports from Google parent Alphabet and other companies. Gains by technology companies and health care stocks outweighed losses in consumer goods manufacturers, retailers and other sectors. Smaller-company stocks, which have been beating the rest of the market this year, turned sharply lower as investors weighed the implications of the Trump administration's decision to send billions in emergency aid to farmers hurting from tariffs stemming from the U.S. trade dispute with China. The Trump administration announced a $12 billion plan to assist farmers who have been hurt by President Donald Trump's trade disputes with China and other trading partners. The plan, which focuses on Midwest soybean producers and others targeted by retaliatory measures, would include direct assistance for farmers, purchases of excess crops and trade promotion activities aimed at building new export markets.
Though, issues surrounding trade remained in focus after President Donald Trump said that tariffs are the greatest. Escalating tensions between the U.S. and its major trading partners have been a major concern of investors of late, amid fears that the situation could evolve into a full-blown trade war.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 197.65 points or 0.79 percent to 25241.94 and the S&P 500 gained 13.42 points or 0.48 percent to 2820.40, while the Nasdaq was down by 1.11 points or 0.01 percent to 7840.77.
