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Tariff Costs Put New Pressure on U.S. Corporate Profits

Rising tariff expenses are beginning to weigh heavily on U.S. companies, prompting executives across multiple industries to warn that profit margins may tighten in the months ahead. Many firms had initially suggested they could manage the added costs through efficiency improvements or selective price increases, but that confidence is fading as import-related expenses continue to climb. Companies that rely on global supply chains are feeling the strain most acutely. Higher costs on imported materials and components are forcing difficult decisions: pass the increases on to consumers, risking weaker demand, or absorb the costs internally, which directly erodes profitability. For many businesses, neither option is attractive. Consumer-facing brands are finding it especially challenging to raise prices further, as shoppers show growing sensitivity to even modest increases. This resistance limits the ability of firms to offset tariff-driven expenses, creating a squeeze that is beginning t...
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Stock Market Today: Wall Street Slips as Bond Market Pressure Mounts

 


The stock market today saw most of Wall Street slip as the bond market cranked up the pressure. The S&P 500 ended little changed on Monday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 74 points and the Nasdaq composite rose 0 1. The majority of stocks fell, with 80% of S&P 500 stocks dropping, but gains for Apple and some other influential Big Tech stocks helped limit the market’s losses . Slumps for oil-and-gas stocks weighed on the market after crude prices gave back some of their sharp gains since the summer.

The main reason for the decline is Wall Street’s growing acceptance that high interest rates are here to stay a while as the Federal Reserve tries to knock high inflation lower. That in turn has pushed Treasury yields to their highest levels in more than a decade, which makes investors less willing to pay high prices for stocks and other investments. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed again Monday, up to 4.69% from 4.58% late Friday, and is near its highest level since 2007. High yields send investors toward bonds that are paying much more than in the past, which pulls dollars away from stocks and undercuts their prices. Stocks that pay high dividends with relatively steady businesses see particular pain because their investors are more likely to switch between stocks and bonds. That puts a harsh spotlight on utility companies. PG&E dropped 5.7%, and Dominion Energy sank 5.3% for some of the sharpest losses in the S&P 500.






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