Stocks rose slightly on Tuesday after President Donald Trump hinted once again he may push back a key trade deadline. Equities also got a boost following strong quarterly numbers from WalMart.
The Dow Jones Industrials came off their highs of the day, but still pointing higher 8.07 points to close Tuesday at 25,891.32,
The S&P 500 gained 4.16 points to 2,779.76, as the materials sector outperformed.
The NASDAQ Composite gained 14.36 points to 7,486.77, as Amazon and Netflix both rose more than 1%.
WalMart shares rose more than 2% after the company reported better-than-expected earnings. The retailer also said e-commerce sales grew by 43% in the previous quarter.
Trump said Tuesday that trade talks with China are going well, adding the current March 1 deadline is not a "magical date." Both countries have until then to come up with a deal. Otherwise, additional U.S. tariffs on Chinese products could take effect. Trump indicated last week, however, he would be willing to push back the deadline.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury gained a bit, lowering yields to 2.64% from Friday’s 2.66%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices gathered 47 cents to $56.06 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices strengthened $21.30 to $1,343.40 U.S. an ounce.
