U.S. stocks opened higher Wednesday morning as investors digested fresh tariff announcements from President Donald Trump and a surge in copper prices. Wall Street’s major indexes pointed toward optimism at the open despite lingering concerns about trade and technology competition.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 181.70 points, or 0.41%, to 44,422.5, while the S&P 500 gained 25.24 points, or 0.41%, reaching 6,250.76. The Nasdaq Composite led the way with a 115.38-point jump, or 0.57%, climbing to 20,533.8.

Investors are reacting to the White House’s announcement of a sweeping new tariff regime. The President declared a 50% tariff on imported copper and a staggering 200% tariff on foreign-manufactured pharmaceuticals, effective August 1, 2025. The move sparked the largest single-day surge in copper futures since at least 1988, with prices rising 17%.

In commodities trading, August crude oil futures slipped 0.15% to $68.23 per barrel, while gold declined 0.35% to $3,305.30 per ounce, reflecting muted investor demand for traditional safe havens despite geopolitical tensions .

Meanwhile, investors continued to reposition their portfolios following earnings and analyst revisions. Bank of America and Goldman Sachs both raised their year-end targets for the S&P 500 on expectations of reduced policy uncertainty and potential interest rate cuts. Goldman now sees the index reaching 6,600 by year-end, implying a 6% upside from Tuesday’s close of 6,229.28.

In tech, Wedbush Securities maintained its “Outperform” rating on Apple with a $270 price target, but warned the tech giant is falling behind in the artificial intelligence race. “The time has come. Apple needs to acquire Perplexity,” analysts wrote, citing the company’s failure to deliver on AI at WWDC and the urgency to respond to rapid advances by rivals like Meta and OpenAI.

Also in focus, DoubleDown Interactive surged on news of its €55 million acquisition of Hamburg-based WHOW Games GmbH, expanding its footprint in the European social casino market. Analysts from Wedbush highlighted the move as a strategic expansion that “could significantly boost user acquisition” and deepen revenue synergies.

As markets digest these developments, all eyes remain on the evolving U.S.-EU trade talks. A pending agreement could exempt Airbus and German automakers from looming tariffs, providing partial relief to industries caught in the escalating trade standoff.