On Thursday, the U.S. stock market closed with mixed results, as investors held their breath in anticipation of the upcoming non-farm payroll report scheduled for release on FridayThis report is a crucial indicator for assessing the state of the employment market and its potential impact on Federal Reserve interest rates.

Amid a backdrop of shifting concerns, the market appeared to shake off anxieties surrounding tariffs and the fallout from DeepSeek, with corporate earnings taking center stage in driving the day's tradingZachary Hill, head of portfolio management at Horizon Investments, remarked, "Today's market feels different from what we've seen before; this is often the case during earnings season when investors focus on individual company fundamentals."

One of the primary movers in the S&P 500 was Philip Morris International, known globally for its Marlboro cigarettes and smokeless tobacco productsThe company's quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, coupled with a positive outlook for future performance, driven largely by strong sales of its Zyn nicotine pouches, which saw their stock price surge by an impressive 10.9%.

However, this surge was not enough to offset the 7.5% decline in Ford's stock, despite the automotive manufacturer's quarterly profits and revenues exceeding analysts' predictionsFord's outlook for 2025, however, hinted at potential hurdles ahead, keeping investors cautious.

As the U.S. economy shows more resilience than previously anticipated, pressures remain on the horizon, heightened by fears of potential tariffsMarket expectations suggest that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to initiate interest rate cuts in its upcoming March meeting, with the prevailing sentiment looking towards a likelihood of cuts by June, as reflected in CME Group's rate watch tool.

Gaurav Mallik of Pallas Capital Advisors emphasized the importance of Friday's non-farm payroll report, suggesting that if it shows job additions between 170,000 and 200,000, the market is likely to absorb the information without severe fluctuations

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Conversely, if the data significantly exceeds these figures, it could diminish the prospects for interest rate cuts this year; if the numbers fall short, concerns about labor market weakness might surface.

On the day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 125.65 points, or 0.28%, closing at 44,747.63. The NASDAQ Composite, on the other hand, gained 99.66 points, representing a 0.51% increase, finishing at 19,791.99. The S&P 500 index also closed higher, up by 22.09 points or 0.36%, at 6083.57.

Sector-by-sector performance illustrated a generally positive trend amongst U.S. stock ETFs, with regional bank ETFs rising by 1.16%, banking sector ETFs gaining 0.91%, and financial sector ETFs up by 0.83%. Interestingly, global tech sector ETFs increased by 0.52%, while semiconductors rose by 0.49%. Other sectors showed mixed results, as consumer discretionary ETFs were up 0.4%, tech sector ETFs improved by 0.27%, while ETFs representing the healthcare sector fell by 0.9% and energy sector ETFs declined by 1.84%. Overall, most sectors within the S&P 500 saw advances, with financials leading the charge, bolstered by gains in technology and real estate.

In the realm of popular stocks, large technology companies predominantly experienced increases as Nvidia rose by over 3%, with Amazon and Meta both up by more than 1%. Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Google saw modest rises, while Tesla and Intel witnessed declines exceeding 1%.

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly's shares climbed by 3.4% as the company reported fourth-quarter earnings that surpassed Wall Street's expectations, even though sales of its flagship product Tirzepatide fell short of forecasted figures.

The banking sector also showed resilient growth, with Citigroup rising by 3.6% and Goldman Sachs gaining 2%. This positive momentum was driven partly by the Federal Reserve's easing of parameters for the 2025 annual bank stress tests and insights suggesting that climate-related stress tests could be abandoned for the six largest U.S. banks.

Turning to corporate updates, OpenAI made headlines by announcing its evaluation of potential locations for its "Stargate" project data centers across the United States

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