Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The major indices opened higher, in line with the indications provided by the equity futures market. The early bump has been rooted largely in a hopeful expectation that the U.S.-China trade talks in Switzerland this weekend will lead to a de-escalation in the nascent trade war.

The latter view notwithstanding, there is a festering sense of uncertainty about the ultimate outcome of the meeting, as President Trump suggested in a Truth Social Post ahead of today's open that an 80% tariff on China seems right.

Some relative strength in the mega-cap space has been a supportive factor for the major indices. The Vanguard Mega-Cap Growth ETF (MGK) is up 0.4%.