Dow Jones flat as U.S. – China trade talks resume

U.S. stocks were little changed as Wall Street monitored renewed trade discussions between American and Chinese officials. 

Hopes of easing tensions and rolling back tariffs weren’t enough to lift major indexes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower by a single point while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices gained 5.52 points and 61.28 points, respecitvely.

High-level U.S.-China trade talks took place in London, featuring Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. 

US-China talks progress 

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC the U.S. is seeking firm commitments from China on critical mineral exports, with expectations that rare earth shipments would resume if talks progress.

Semiconductor stocks responded strongly. Qualcomm surged over 4% after announcing a $2.4 billion acquisition of chipmaker Alphawave. Advanced Micro Devices and Texas Instruments each rose more than 4%, and Nvidia also ticked higher. 

Chinese tech giant Alibaba gained 2%, reflecting optimism about improved bilateral relations.

“Investors are taking bullish trades today on China large caps and U.S. semiconductor stocks, which are both beneficiaries of U.S./China trade talks,” said Larry Tentarelli of Blue Chip Daily Trend Report.

Apple shares bucked the trend, falling 1.5% during its 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference, where it unveiled its first major iPhone OS redesign since 2013.

Markets also await key inflation data later this week. The consumer price index is due Wednesday, followed by the producer price index on Thursday. 

Analysts expect these figures to offer insight into how tariffs are affecting prices.

Monday’s gains follow a second consecutive weekly advance for all three major indexes, signaling growing investor confidence in a more stable global trade environment.