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US Stocks Mixed in Afternoon Trading

by Wayne Lee

   U.S. stocks were mixed in afternoon trading Wednesday as investors try
   to cope with the unexpected return of volatility to stock prices
   throughout the world.

   The tone was set earlier in the day in Asia and Europe, where the Euro
   STOXX 50 Index gained 1.8 percent, Japan's Nikkei 225 Index inched up
   two-tenths of a percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed nearly
   one percent lower.

   For the first time since the massive sell-off began last week, U.S.
   President Donald Trump, who has frequently commented on market gains
   during his presidency, offered remarks via Twitter about the recent
   wild swings in stock valuations.

   Trump's tweet may have been in reference to Friday's U.S. government
   report that the economy generated 200,000 jobs in January and that
   wages increased at their fastest pace in eight years.

   U.S. stocks have performed well since Trump entered the White House
   more than one year ago. The broad-based Standard & Poor's 500 Index,
   for example, climbed nearly 24 percent during a one-year period ending
   January 31.

   The impressive performance has help lift Trump's sagging job approval
   rating, according to a new Quinnipiac University National Poll released
   Wednesday. Forty percent of the U.S. voters surveyed approved of his
   performance, his best score in seven months, while 55 percent
   disapprove.