US markets end in green as traders digest Fed Minutes

20 Feb 2025 Evaluate

The US markets ended in green on Wednesday, as traders paid no attention to the minutes from the Federal Reserve's January policy meeting. The minutes of the latest Federal Reserve meeting revealed officials want to see further progress on inflation before they consider resuming lowering interest rates. The minutes of the Fed's January 28-29 meeting also reiterated officials believe a careful approach in considering additional adjustments to the stance of monetary policy is appropriate given the high degree of uncertainty. Factors mentioned by participants as supporting a careful approach included the reduced downside risks to the outlook for the labor market and economic activity and increased upside risks to the outlook for inflation. Also, traders shrugged off concerns about a global trade war even as President Donald Trump said he plans to impose tariffs on U.S. imports of automobiles, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Trump said the 25 percent tariffs could be imposed as early as April 2nd and warned the duties could ‘go substantially higher over a course of a year.’

On sectorial front, Housing stocks are seeing significant weakness on the heels of the housing starts data, dragging the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index down by 1.8 percent. A steep drop by Toll Brothers is also weighing on the sector, with the homebuilder plunging by 6.1 percent after reporting weaker than expected fiscal first quarter results. Considerable weakness is also visible among airline stocks, as reflected by the 1.2 percent loss being posted by the NYSE Arca Airline Index. 

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 71.25 points or 0.16 percent to 44,627.59, Nasdaq added 14.99 points or 0.07 percent to 20,056.25 and S&P 500 was up by 14.57 points or 0.24 percent to 6,144.15.

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