S&P 500 Gains and Losses Today: NRG Energy Stock Surges After Analyst Upgrade [Video]

Major U.S. equities indexes ticked higher as investors weighed the implications of President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to impose new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China.

In addition, the minutes from this month’s Federal Reserve meeting revealed that policymakers foresee more interest-rate cuts ahead but intend to take a cautious approach and respond to any indications of persistent inflation.

The S&P 500 added 0.6% Tuesday. The Dow traded in negative territory for much of the day but gained ground in the afternoon to end 0.3% higher. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was up 0.6%.

Tuesday’s top performance in the S&P 500 belonged to shares of electricity generator NRG Energy (NRG), which surged 10.1% after Jefferies upgraded the stock to “buy” from “hold” and lifted its price target. Analysts pointed to improved expectations for NRG’s cross-selling opportunities. They also increased their estimates for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) as they accounted for the company’s growth plans.

Shares of fellow power producer Constellation Energy (CEG) …