The opening bell rang on Tuesday with a sense of unease. Investors had grown used to choppy waters-tariffs, trade tensions, and a mixed bag of earnings reports kept everyone guessing. For most of the day, the market drifted sideways. But as the afternoon wore on, a wave of optimism swept through Wall Street, turning a lackluster session into a full-blown rally.

Trade winds shift: Tariffs, deals, and a market turnaround

Just before the closing bell, the White House made its move. President Trump signed an executive order granting automakers a temporary break from the new 25% tariffs on imported vehicles. The message was clear: companies would get more time to shift supply chains back to the U.S., a lifeline for an industry caught in the crossfire. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, speaking to CNBC, hinted that a major trade deal was nearly in the bag. While he kept the partner country under wraps, President Trump later revealed that talks with India were “progressing well.”

The market’s mood changed in an instant. Stocks that had been treading water-especially trade-sensitive names like General Motors and Apple-reversed course. “A lot of the economic indicators are likely to be mixed; it will be quite challenging to discern the impacts of tariffs in the next month or two,” said Saglimene, a market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Troy, Michigan. “Companies most affected by tariffs are behaving as anticipated, either reducing guidance or halting it entirely.”

The numbers told the story. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 300 points, or 0.75%, marking its sixth straight day of gains. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq followed suit, each closing up more than half a percent. Honeywell and Sherwin-Williams led the charge, both posting strong earnings that sent their shares soaring by more than 5%.

Earnings, confidence, and the road ahead

While trade headlines grabbed attention, earnings season continued to shape the narrative. Meta Platforms and Microsoft were set to report, with Apple and Amazon on deck later in the week. Investors watched closely as companies navigated a landscape reshaped by tariffs and global uncertainty. General Motors, for example, posted solid results but suspended share buybacks and pulled its annual outlook, citing the fog of trade policy.

Economic data painted a mixed picture. The U.S. trade deficit in goods hit a record high as businesses rushed to import ahead of new tariffs. Consumer confidence dropped to its lowest since May 2020, and job openings remained steady, suggesting a resilient but cautious labor market. “Trump’s tariffs have dramatically lowered expectations,” noted Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth in Menome Falls, Wisconsin. “Perhaps the silver lining is that it will be difficult not to see some improvement in expectations over the coming months”.

Yet, for all the volatility, the rally showed how quickly sentiment can shift. Investors, battered by headlines and data, found hope in the prospect of tariff relief and progress at the negotiating table. As one analyst put it, “Markets are forward-looking. They’re betting that companies can adapt, and that policymakers will blink before real damage is done.”

As April draws to a close, Wall Street is already looking ahead. The “sell in May” crowd is cautious, but the mood on Tuesday was unmistakably upbeat. With big tech earnings on the horizon and trade talks in motion, investors are bracing for more twists-but for now, optimism has the upper hand.

Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Winvesta. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.