U.S. Stock Market Continues Rally Amid Anticipated Trump Speech

U.S. stock markets extended gains from the previous day as U.S. President Donald Trump is set to deliver a nationwide address. According to RTHK, White House officials indicated that Trump will reiterate plans to conclude the conflict with Iran within two to three weeks. However, Iran has denied requesting a ceasefire from the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose over 460 points at its peak, surpassing 46,800 points, and closed at 46,565 points, up 224 points or approximately 0.5%, marking a three-day consecutive rise and reaching a two-week high. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices also recorded gains for the second consecutive day, closing at one-week highs. The S&P 500 closed at 6,575 points, up 46 points or over 0.7%, while the Nasdaq closed at 21,840 points, up 250 points or about 1.2%. Technology stocks performed well, with notable increases in chip and memory chip stocks. Intel, Micron, SanDisk, and Western Digital saw gains of nearly 9% to 10%, while Nvidia, Apple, Amazon, and Meta rose by about 1% or more. Alphabet and Tesla increased by approximately 3%. Additionally, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is preparing to adjust tariffs on steel and aluminum. The plan reportedly includes maintaining a 50% tariff on bulk steel and aluminum products and imposing a 25% tariff on finished goods made from imported steel and aluminum, with an announcement expected as early as this week. In after-hours trading, shares of Alcoa and Century Aluminum fell by over 1%.