Dow falls as summit opens with market watch

The Dow Jones dips as a high profile summit unfolds while Goldman Sachs flags weaker payroll growth.

Markets slip as Trump Zelenskyy summit opens and Goldman warns on jobs

Stock indexes drift lower as a high profile diplomatic gathering opens in Europe, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 0.12% at the time of writing. The slide comes as leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer convene for talks that could influence policy paths and market sentiment. The DIA ETF tracking the Dow is moving in tandem with the index. In overall market leadership, Nvidia helps lift tech shares while UnitedHealth Group pushes higher after Warren Buffett and David Tepper disclosed stakes in the company. Boeing remains under pressure after a machinist strike in St. Louis and ongoing fallout from the recent Air India crash. Ahead of the summit, Trump signaled a trilateral discussion with Putin and others could shape outcomes, and he floated the possibility that such a forum might end the fighting if a path emerges.

Geopolitics is shaping market mood more than quarterly results right now. The absence of a clear, early breakthrough can keep investors cautious, even as headline leadership signals suggest diplomacy is taking center stage. The tension between public diplomacy and private sector risk means moves could hinge on a few key headlines rather than a broad shift in fundamentals. The Goldman Sachs note on the labor market adds a sobering layer, reframing expectations for job growth and suggesting revisions could tilt even further negative. In this environment, traders are likely to react to statements about trilaterals and land disputes as much as to payroll figures and corporate updates.

Highlights

Diplomacy could reshape risk for markets in the days ahead.