04:01 PM EDT, 03/26/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended lower Wednesday with President Donald Trump set to announce new tariffs on auto imports.
* The Trump administration may also impose tariffs on copper imports in the coming weeks, well ahead of a deadline for a decision, Bloomberg reported.
* US durable goods orders unexpectedly increased last month as gains in defense aircraft and motor vehicles drove the transportation equipment component higher, government data showed.
* "The underlying trend (in durable goods orders) has turned up recently, improving prospects for the struggling factory sector," BMO Capital Markets said.
* May West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $0.69 to settle at $69.69 a barrel, while May Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.78 to $73.80 after a report showed U.S. inventories fell more than expected last week. Concerns over supply, strained by U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, also supported prices.
* Cintas ( CTAS ) shares jumped 5.8% as the uniform supplier raised its full-year earnings outlook after fiscal Q3 results topped Wall Street's views.
* Nvidia ( NVDA ) is moving closer to a deal to buy Lepton AI, a startup that rents out servers powered by Nvidia's ( NVDA ) artificial intelligence chips, The Information reported. Nvidia ( NVDA ) shares fell 5.7%.