Stocks finished firmly higher on Thursday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.63% to extend its winning streak to an eighth consecutive trading session and take the benchmark to within 70

Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato drew attention by mentioning that the country’s more than $1.1 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds could potentially be a “card on the table” in negotiations with Washington over Trump’s steep tariffs on autos and other imports.

Treasury Secretary Bessent said current U.S.-China trade relations are unsustainable and signaled hopes for negotiations.