US stocks close higher as Dow adds 300 points

The US stocks closed Monday higher, as investors await the Federal Reserve’s meeting scheduled for this week and anticipate earnings reports from several major companies, while largely overlooking geopolitical and trade risks.

By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.64%, or 313 points, to 49,412.

The broader S&P 500 advanced 0.50%, or 34 points, to 6,950, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.43%, or 100 points, to 23,601.

The Nasdaq was supported by gains in Apple, which rose 2.97% to $255.41; Meta Platforms, up 2% to $672.36; and Microsoft, which added 0.93% to $470.28, ahead of earnings announcements later this week.

In Europe, the STOXX Europe 600 climbed 0.20% to 609.57 points, supported by a 1.45% rise in shares of defense-related companies.

Germany’s DAX added 0.15% to 24,933 points, while Britain’s FTSE 100 remained unchanged at 10,148 points, and France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.15% to 8,131 points.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.80% to 52,888 points, while the broader TOPIX dropped 2.15% to close at 3,552 points.

In commodities, Brent crude futures for March delivery fell 0.44%, or 29 cents, to $65.59 per barrel.

U.S. Nymex crude futures for March delivery declined 0.72%, or 44 cents, to $60.63 per barrel.

As for gold, February futures rose 2.10%, or $102.8, to $5,082.50 per ounce, marking their seventh record close since the start of the year.

What’s driving markets? Attention is turning to corporate earnings and the Federal Reserve meeting scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, where interest rates are expected to be held steady. This came despite US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose 100% tariffs on Canada should it reach a trade agreement with China.