05:05 PM EDT, 09/30/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes rose at the close on Tuesday as gains in healthcare stocks helped offset declines triggered by concern that the federal government is heading for a partial shutdown after midnight.

The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.3% to 22,660.01, the S&P 500 was up 0.4% to 6,688.46, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.2% higher at 46,397.89. Technology and industrials were among the top gainers, while energy emerged as the steepest decliner.

Merck ( MRK ) said a phase 3 trial showed its experimental drug, Winrevair, significantly reduced the risk of clinical worsening events by 76% in adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension at intermediate or high risk, compared with placebo. Its shares jumped 6.8%, the top gainer on the Dow and the S&P 500.

President Donald Trump said Pfizer ( PFE ) agreed to provide some of its most popular medications at "heavily discounted prices." Pfizer ( PFE ) shares advanced 6.8%, the top performer on the S&P 500.

HSBC raised Johnson & Johnson's ( JNJ ) price target to $210 from $188 after the company said Monday the US Food and Drug Administration approved Tremfya for plaque psoriasis or active psoriatic arthritis in children aged six and older. The company's shares were up 2.1%, among the leaders on the Dow.

Amgen ( AMGN ) shares climbed 3%, among the biggest gainers on the Nasdaq and the Dow, after the company said it is investing $650 million to expand its US manufacturing network.

Meanwhile, a Monday meeting on a short-term spending bill ended without an agreement, with Trump reportedly blaming the Democrats for a looming funding lapse at midnight on Tuesday. The dollar depreciated 0.5% against the Japanese yen. Gold futures were up 0.8% to $3,886.10 after hitting an all-time high of $3,899.20.

In economic data, US job openings rose to 7.227 million in August, beating expectations of 7.2 million and above July's 7.208 million. The hiring rate, however, slipped to 3.2% from 3.3%. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 94.2 in September, below forecasts and the lowest since April 2025.

Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said the risks to the employment rate are likely tilted to the downside, while those to inflation are leaning up.

"I expect the disinflation process to resume after this year and inflation to return to the (Fed's) 2% target in the coming years," Jefferson said. "With the unemployment rate at 4.3%, the labor market is softening, which suggests that, (if) left unsupported, it could experience stress."

Separately, Boston Federal Reserve President Susan Collins on Tuesday expressed willingness to support additional interest rate cuts this year, saying she now sees "limited" upside risks to inflation. According to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, the probability that the Federal Open Market Committee will cut interest rates by 25 basis points is 97% as of late Tuesday.

US Treasury yields were mixed, with the 10-year up 1.1 basis points to 4.15% while the two-year rate slipped 2.3 basis points to 3.61%.

In energy news, West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures dropped 1.5% to $62.48 a barrel.