World shares are mixed as strong corporate earnings are offset by tariff
worries
[April 30, 2025] By
ELAINE KURTENBACH
World shares were mixed on Wednesday as strong corporate profits were
offset by uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s trade war.
The Eurozone logged 0.4% growth in the first quarter of the year,
stronger than in the last quarter of 2024. But the outlook has been
dimmed by higher tariffs on exports from the 20-nation region using the
euro.
Germany’s DAX gained 0.4% to 22,531.16 after the country's center-left
Social Democrats voted to approve a coalition agreement. The vote’s
results announced Wednesday pave the way to elect Friedrich Merz as the
new German chancellor.
In Paris, the CAC 40 also rose 0.4%, to 7,586.37, while Britain's FTSE
100 was little changed at 8,465.95.
The future for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% lower while that for the Dow Jones
Industrial Average was up 0.1%.
In Asian trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index climbed 0.6% to 36,045.38.
Japanese automakers’ shares were mixed even after Trump signed an order
relaxing some U.S. tariffs on imports of autos and auto parts.
Shares in Toyota Motor Corp. lost 1.6% while Honda Motor Co. gained
0.4%. Nissan Motor Co. lost 0.2%.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng rose 0.5% to 22,119.41, while the Shanghai
Composite index slipped 0.2% to 3,279.03 as surveys showed export orders
to Chinese manufacturers declined in April as higher U.S. tariffs on
goods from China began to take effect.
South Korea's Kospi dropped 0.3% to 2,556.61, while the S&P/ASX 200 in
Australia surged 0.7% to 8,126.20.
On Tuesday, the S&P 500 climbed 0.6% and the Dow industrials added 0.7%.
The Nasdaq composite rose 0.5%.
CEOs say they’re unsure how long their companies can keep piling up
profits due to the lack of clarity about Donald Trump’s trade war.
Honeywell International helped lead the market with a gain of 5.4% after
reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than
analysts expected. It also raised its forecast for profit over the full
year.
Sherwin-Williams rose 4.8% for another one of the market’s bigger gains
after the paint and coatings company likewise reported a
better-than-expected profit.
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A currency trader works near a screen showing the Korea Composite
Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate
between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center right, at the
foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in
Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
 UPS stock swung between losses and
gains at the day’s start of trading after it reported a stronger
profit than analysts expected for the first three months of 2025.
Because it’s the world’s largest package delivery company, UPS can
offer a window into how the global economy is doing.
But UPS also said it wasn’t updating its financial forecasts
previously given for 2025 because of “the current macro-economic
uncertainty.” It also said it expects to cut about 20,000 jobs and
close 73 buildings this year. Its stock finished 0.4% lower.
Investors fear Trump’s tariffs could bring a recession if left
unaltered because they could freeze global trade and send prices
higher for all kinds of products.
U.S. households are getting much more pessimistic because of
tariffs, and a report from the Conference Board on Tuesday said
their expectations for income, business and job market conditions
dropped to the lowest level since 2011 and are well below the level
that usually signals a recession ahead.
General Motors slipped 0.6% despite reporting a stronger profit for
the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company rescheduled a
conference call with investors to discuss its results and forecasts
for 2025 to Thursday because of “recent reports regarding updates to
trade policy.”
Coca-Cola also overcame an early drop to rise 0.8%. The beverage
giant reported better-than-expected earnings in the first quarter
and said the impact of tariffs on its business are likely to be
“manageable.”
Treasury yields fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped to
4.17% from 4.23% late Monday.
In other dealings early Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 68
cents to $59.74 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard,
shed 64 cents to $62.64 per barrel.
The U.S. dollar rose to 142.98 Japanese yen from 142.35 yen. The
euro fell to $1.1371 from $1.1386.
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