After a day of mostly red numbers, the leading index of the US stock exchange surged and closed around zero. The broad S&P index rose 0.1 percent and the Dow Jones industrial index gained 0.4 percent. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index closed unchanged.
The electronic manufacturer Seagate performed the best, rising 11.5 percent. Mondelez, the owner of Marabou, was also among the winners, up 3.8 percent.
It went worse for the server company Super Micro Computer, which fell 11.5 percent. The cruise company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings also had a tough day, down 7.7 percent, as did the coffee chain Starbucks, which fell 5.7 percent.
Earlier in the day, the US Department of Commerce released quarterly GDP figures, showing that the country's economy contracted by 0.3 percent – a significant decline compared to the fourth quarter last year, when growth was 2.4 percent.
A slowdown was expected – but the result was worse than analysts had anticipated. An import boost ahead of Trump's tariff shock and weaker consumption contributed to the development.
Monthly figures from payroll administrator ADP simultaneously show that only 62,000 new jobs were created in the private sector in April. This can be compared to March, when the corresponding figure was 147,000.
After the close, quarterly reports are expected from Meta, the owner of Facebook, as well as Microsoft and chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
