Key Takeaways

U.S. equities edged higher at midday as investor optimism about trade deals and inflation outweighed falling consumer sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average , S&P 500 , and Nasdaq all rose less than 0.2%.

Applied Materials ( AMAT ) was the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500 when the semiconductor equipment maker missed revenue forecasts as sales in China slumped.

Shares of Cava Group ( CAVA ) fell after the Mediterranean restaurant chain gave a disappointing full-year outlook even as profit and sales beat estimates.

U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) declined when the pharmaceutical firm ousted CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen as the company was losing ground to rivals in the weight-loss drug market.

Charter Communications ( CHTR ) shares rose after the cable provider bought rival Cox Communications for $34.5 billion, including debt.

Shares of Vistra ( VST ) gained when the power provider purchased seven natural gas generation facilities from Lotus Infrastructure Partners for $1.9 billion.

Virgin Galactic Holdings ( SPCE ) skyrocketed after the space tourism firm started by Richard Branson had better-than-anticipated results, reduced expenses, announced new flight plans, and raised prices.

Oil futures advanced. Gold prices dropped. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was little changed. The U.S. dollar was up on the euro, pound, and yen. Most major cryptocurrencies traded higher.

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