Wall Street steadies after EU trade deal

Most US stock indices held steady in positive territory during Monday trading after a strong opening, as markets absorbed the recently reached customs trade agreement between the United States and the European Union.

The agreement, announced on Sunday, stipulates the imposition of a 15% tariff on most European goods instead of 30%. US President Donald Trump also indicated that the deal includes a commitment from the European Union to purchase $750 billion worth of US energy products over the coming years.

Meanwhile, senior officials from the United States and China are scheduled to meet in Stockholm on Monday in an effort to extend the trade truce before the August 12 deadline.

During this busy week, investors await more corporate earnings reports, most notably Meta and Microsoft on Wednesday, followed by Amazon and Apple on Thursday.

The Federal Reserve also begins its meeting today, which will continue through Wednesday, amid expectations to keep the interest rate within the range of 4.25% to 4.5%.

In trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by less than 0.1% (equivalent to 29 points) to 44,873 points as of 16:27 GMT. The broader S&P 500 rose by less than 0.1% (equivalent to 0.5 points) to 6,389 points, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose by 0.2% (equivalent to 41 points) to 21,150 points.