Equity Markets Close Higher as Investors Await Key Economic Reports

04:51 PM EDT, 07/14/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes closed higher on Monday as investor look ahead to key inflation and producer data expected later in the week.

The Nasdaq was up 0.3% to 20,640.33 while the S&P 500 increased 0.1% to 6,268.56. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.2% to 44,459.65. Among sectors, communications led the gainers while energy saw the steepest decline.

US Treasury yields were mixed, with the 10-year rate gaining 2.1 basis points to 4.43% and the two-year rate dropping 0.6 basis points to 3.90%.

August West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 2.2% to $66.96 a barrel on Monday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that the EU will delay its plan to hit the US with duties on 21 billion euros ($24.49 billion) of its annual exports to the bloc until "early August," hoping to reach a deal with the Trump administration, the Financial Times reported. The tariffs were originally due to come into effect Tuesday.

"Traders are staying complacent in the face of the new US import tariffs; they may reason that (Trump) doesn't want to preside over another market crash," Macquarie said in a Monday client note. "But there's also the more ominous possibility that Trump has 'moved on' from using tariffs to extract concessions, and is now using tariffs to boost tariff revenues. If that's the case, (Aug. 1) may see a flood of new higher tariffs, as well as retaliation."

Official US consumer inflation data for June are due on Tuesday, with the producer prices report for last month scheduled for Wednesday. The consumer price index is expected to have increased 0.3% sequentially and 2.6% annually in June, according to a Bloomberg-compiled consensus.

In company news, Autodesk (ADSK) shares were up 5.1%, the top gainer on S&P 500. The company is no longer pursuing an acquisition of PTC (PTC), Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources. PTC shares fell 1.8%.

Gen Digital (GEN) shares jumped 3.9% after B. Riley initiated coverage of the company with a buy rating and $46 price target.

Waters (WAT) was among the worst performers on the S&P 500, down 14%. Becton Dickinson (BDX) agreed to combine its biosciences and diagnostic solutions business with analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing company Waters. Becton shares were up 0.6%.

Gold decreased 0.3% to $3,353.80 per troy ounce, and silver was down 1.4% to $38.41 per troy ounce.

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