S&P 500, Nasdaq end at record closing highs as moderate inflation lifts rate hopes

S&P 500, Nasdaq end at record closing highs as moderate inflation lifts rate hopes

By Saeed Azhar, Johann M Cherian and Sanchayaita Roy

Tue August 12, 2025 4:29 PM

CPI came in barely changed monthly while annual inflation data even came in a bit lower than estimates. This greatly bolstered confidence that there will be a September rate cut and sent all the indexes straight up. September cut odds now up to a whopping 88.8%. But there are possible consequences of a rate cut at this time. “This is still early innings of this process and just as the Fed will be beginning to cut rates in the autumn, that’s when the inflation data will probably start to be registering some of these more direct tariff price increases and it’s going to complicate the rate-cutting decision.” 

Wall Street stocks end down, inflation data, China trade in focus

Wall Street stocks end down, inflation data, China trade in focus

By Saeed Azhar, Johann M Cherian and Sanchayaita Roy

Mon August 11, 2025 4:27 PM

All three indexes took a dip ahead of inflation reports coming Tuesday to once again gauge rate cut expectations but still optimistic that recent weak labor data will prompt the Fed to cut. However, inflation is expected to remain sticky since tariff impacts are just beginning to show and will only continue to increase. It’s a two-edged sword as commented by today’s expert that the tariffs are only going to increase inflation but “lower inflationary readings and slower growth numbers are needed to support the case for lower rates."  

Nasdaq posts record closing high with tech gains, rate cut optimism

Nasdaq posts record closing high with tech gains, rate cut optimism

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Fri August 8, 2025 5:12 PM  

Just as yesterday was a path straight down, today was a path straight up with the Dow and Nasdaq climbing to 3-digit gains, the Nasdaq at another new record close for the second day and the S&P just shy of another. It could be just another day of bargain hunting or it could be investors still reacting to yesterday’s good news from Apple. Add to that the spate of weak economic data which now has the market giddy over a virtual certainty of a September rate cut.  

S&P 500 eases with Eli Lilly; Nasdaq manages record closing high

S&P 500 eases with Eli Lilly; Nasdaq manages record closing high

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Thu August 7, 2025 5:00 PM

All three indexes started the day well into the black, especially tech where the Nasdaq reached another record high, but then all quickly began a decline, the S&P and Dow almost immediately in the red, the Dow heading to a 3-digit loss, and the Nasdaq bouncing back into the black at the 11^th hour for a modest gain. There are several things that could trigger today’s sell off, not the least of which were dozens of new tariffs that took effect today, plus Trump’s choices for replacing the departing Fed Gov.

Nasdaq leads gains on Wall Street, helped by Apple

Nasdaq leads gains on Wall Street, helped by Apple

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Wed August 6, 2025 4:00 PM

Contrary to Friday, there was nothing but good news today, starting with Apple committing to $100B of domestic manufacturing along with a slew of positive Q2 reports. With 4/5 of the S&P having now reported, earnings continue to exceed forecasts with 80% beating estimates vs a 76% average. One Fed prez has said that rate cuts need to come soon which has now skyrocketed the odds for a September cut to 95.2% vs 46.7% just a week ago.  

Wall Street ends lower as investors consider tariff impact on results, economy

Wall Street ends lower as investors consider tariff impact on results, economy

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Tue August 5, 2025 4:57 PM

After yesterday’s huge rally, investors took a pause today with all indexes closing modestly in the red. With today’s Q2, tariffs are very much back on the front-burner due to the fact that company after company, though turning in good reports, are also issuing warnings that duties are already increasing costs and are trimming their forecasts for Q3 and Q4. Company after company is warning that higher costs are just going to keep going higher resulting in higher prices and fewer sales, thus lower revenues and profits. More Q2 from major companies like Disney and McDonalds coming Wednesday. Q2 is winding down and though it’s been largely positive with 80% of companies beating estimates, the overall message is that it’s not going to last. We’re heading for a poor second-half.  

Indexes end up 1%; investors ramp up rate-cut views after weaker payrolls

Indexes end up 1%; investors ramp up rate-cut views after weaker payrolls

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Mon August 4, 2025 4:00 PM

This is what makes Wall Street so much fun. The consensus this weekend was that the very poor Friday performance would be extended into today. Instead the opposite happened with the exact same pattern as Friday only in the black instead of the red and with all three indexes recovering almost all of Friday’s losses. Ironically, all that really changed today was attitude. Friday there was a panic over data showing the labor market was weaker than previously believed. The glass was half empty.  

Stocks slump on latest tariffs, soft jobs data

Stocks slump on latest tariffs, soft jobs data

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Fri August 1, 2025 4:37 PM

There wasn’t anything much to like today which sent the market straight down out the gate into very weighty 3-digit losses all around where all three indexes remained all day. There was the disappointing Amazon report, Apple despite a good Q2 nevertheless forecasting $1 billion in additional costs coming due to tariffs, a very bad jobs report as well as sharply reduced jobs data from last time showing the job market suffering and apparently no longer as resilient as thought. Add on to that dozens of new tariffs announced, Trump firing the head of Labor Statistics since the data does not support his positions, and a Fed governor announcing an early exit leaving Trump more maneuvering room to dump Powell.  

Equities stall as early enthusiasm ebbs; Amazon, Apple earnings due

Equities stall as early enthusiasm ebbs; Amazon, Apple earnings due

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Thu July 31, 2025 4:27 PM

Yesterday’s very late surge did indeed continue this morning with all the indexes going into the green. Even the Dow being so heavily in the red yesterday managed to reach break-even today, but the tech indexes surged dramatically this morning, the Nasdaq gaining over 300 points, before all the indexes began a steady decline to all close in the red, the Dow down 3-digits again. So what happened? Even though there were a lot of positive Q2 reports today, there were more negative ones, especially in the AI sector where a lot of companies suddenly appear to be suffering.  

Equities retreat as Powell dampens Fed Sept cut hopes

Equities retreat as Powell dampens Fed Sept cut hopes

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Wed July 30, 2025 4:31 PM

There was a lot of positive news today with the Fed reporting that the economy remained on good footing, two of the four remaining Mag 7’s put in good Q2 with the other two coming tomorrow, solid Q2 from a number of consumer firms pointed to shopper resilience, private payrolls came in way above forecasts, and Q2 GDP, after being negative in Q1, went right back to last year’s 3% level. But today, none of that mattered. Instead all eyes were on Powell when he announced this afternoon that it was too soon to comment on a September rate cut and that current policy, though modestly restrictive, was not holding the economy back.  That is exactly not what the market wanted to hear.  

Equities close lower as earnings weigh; Fed statement on tap

Equities close lower as earnings weigh; Fed statement on tap

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Tue July 29, 2025 4:23 PM

A few major Q2 reports came in on the downside today and the whole market slid with the three indexes spending almost all day in the red, the Dow down 3-digits. UPS sinking over 10% after once again declining to report forecasts sent a challenging message of how badly the continuously changing trade policy is messing with the company and, by extension, the economy as a whole. Earnings are mixed and there hasn’t been enough positive economic data to move the needle with the Fed.  

S&P, Nasdaq again close at record highs, trade choppy

S&P, Nasdaq again close at record highs, trade choppy

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Mon July 28, 2025 4:32 PM

Yesterday’s newly announced trade deal with the EU should have sent the markets soaring today but instead it was greeted with cautious optimism with erratic trading in which both the S&P and Dow spent most of the afternoon in losses. As today’s expert put it, “It’s feel-good in the sense that it doesn’t represent Armageddon, if the draconian tariffs went into place. But it’s much too soon to pass judgment on the long term effects on how it will play out, It’s better than the alternative, to be sure so I hope they continue.” It also didn’t help that certain EU member nations are against the deal, with France at the front of the line denouncing it as a “submission.”  

S&P 500, Nasdaq close at records; Deckers soars on UGG demand

S&P 500, Nasdaq close at records; Deckers soars on UGG demand

By Noel Randewich

Fri July 25, 2025 4:22 PM

Based on continued optimism over completing trade deals, especially now with the EU as they plan to meet with Trump on Sunday for more talks. This lead more movement straight up, especially on the Dow where 2/3 of yesterday’s losses were recovered, but also modest gains on both the S&P and Nasdaq, thus putting both once again at record levels. All three indexes posted very respectable gains for the week from 1% to 1.5% with the S&P hitting a new record each day, something that hasn’t happened on any index for nearly four years.  

S&P 500 and Nasdaq notch record closes, lifted by Alphabet

S&P 500 and Nasdaq notch record closes, lifted by Alphabet

By Noel Randewich and Pranav Kashyap

Thu July 24, 2025 4:29 PM

A very strong Q2 report from Google, attributed again to AI, boosted all of tech and especially the other Magnificent Seven. Both indexes were up most of the day, the Nasdaq up around 100 as late as 3:30 p.m. but then both it and the S&P fell suddenly in the final half hour but still closing with modest gains. Besides the good Q2 reports and renewed optimism about trade agreements, unemployment claims came in lower than expected once again clarifying the resilience of the labor market.  

S&P 500 and Nasdaq rally to record highs on optimism about trade deals

S&P 500 and Nasdaq rally to record highs on optimism about trade deals

By Noel Randewich and Nikhil Sharma

Wed July 23, 2025 4:17 PM

Yesterday the mood on The Street was dimmed by a lack of confidence in trade deals what with India going sour and the EU planning counterstrikes. Today all that changed radically 180 with a trade deal announced with Japan and greatly increasing confidence of a similar deal coming soon with the EU. It was a shot straight up on all three indexes with the Dow and Nasdaq into very impressive 3-digit gains and both the Nasdaq and S&P reaching still new records.

S&P 500 notches record-high close; GM slumps as tariffs bite

S&P 500 notches record-high close; GM slumps as tariffs bite

By Noel Randewich and Pranav Kashyap

Tue July 22, 2025 4:17 PM

It was a day of consolidating recent gains as all three indexes opened low, especially tech with the Nasdaq losing over 200 by 10 a.m., but then all three gradually recovering with the S&P barely closing flat but the Nasdaq all day in the red. The Dow industrials were in the black all day though quite flat all morning before gaining in the afternoon and closing up 3-digits. GM had a rotten day announcing a $1B write-off from tariffs and the aerospace and defense stocks also took big hits.  

S&P 500 and Nasdaq notch record high closes, lifted by Alphabet

S&P 500 and Nasdaq notch record high closes, lifted by Alphabet

By Noel Randewich and Nikhil Sharma

Mon July 21, 2025 4:29 PM

Stoked by an anticipated glowing report from Google (due Wednesday) and also more Magnificent Seven reports later this week, all the indexes shot way up throughout the day, the Dow up over 250 points, until about 2 pm when they all started plummeting to close at a near wash. But tech was still in positive territory which also meant the S&P and Nasdaq had still one more record close. For the year, the S&P is up 7%, the Nasdaq 9%. S&P Q2 earnings are expected to increase by 6.7% and the good news so far is that companies have met or beaten guidance.  

S&P, Nasdaq end on subdued note after brief dip on latest Trump tariff rumbling

S&P, Nasdaq end on subdued note after brief dip on latest Trump tariff rumbling

By David French

Fri July 18, 2025 4:56 PM

 

It was a pretty flat day from beginning to end for tech anyway as investors tried to grapple once again with the latest tariff threats. The Dow industrials went straight south though ending down 3-digits. This was the week that would either prove or disprove the harmful effects of the tariffs. But the week ended quite mixed with overall sentiment being that the markets have grown wary of the tariff debate.  

S&P 500, Nasdaq end at fresh record highs as data, earnings point to consumer strength

S&P 500, Nasdaq end at fresh record highs as data, earnings point to consumer strength

By David French

Thu July 17, 2025 4:37 PM

After two days of tepid economic and Q2 reports failed to inspire much confidence regarding inflation, today the reports turned very much positive with strong Q2 from companies like PepsiCo and with Netflix coming in with both barrels after the bell. There was also TSMC, the world’s largest AI chipmaker, with a record quarterly profit thus boosting not only the whole AI sector but also all of tech.

Wall Street ends up, after brief downward detour on Powell firing confusion

Wall Street ends up, after brief downward detour on Powell firing confusion

By David French

Wed July 16, 2025 4:43 PM

The day started as a near-disaster as all the indexes took a big dive right around 11 a.m., the Dow down nearly 300 points, but it only lasted about 30 minutes before a rebound began. The trigger was a brief leak of news reports that Trump was ready to fire Jerome Powell which created a momentary panic over losing the independence of the Fed and the subsequent damage that would do to the economy. No matter that that independence meant that Trump had no authority to do any such thing any more than he has the authority to fire Hakeem Jeffries. There was still a panic but after only ½ hour, Trump himself issued a statement that the reports were false and he had no such intention, though this did not stop him from continuing his attacks on Powell for not lowering rates fast enough.  

Nasdaq posts latest record close on Nvidia's China chip cheer

Nasdaq posts latest record close on Nvidia's China chip cheer

By David French

Tue July 15, 2025 4:00 PM

Some very good news from Nvidia that sent the Nasdaq to still another record close and had the index way up in the morning, but still not nearly good enough to offset the first of the week’s economic reports and Q2 which showed, contrary to hopes, that inflation was up and that tariffs were the reason, the first concrete evidence of the tariff effect. It sent all the indexes on a downward slope for the entire session with the Dow in substantial triple-digit losses and the Nasdaq losing almost all of its gains for the day.  

Wall Street ends with modest gains as investors await economic reports

Wall Street ends with modest gains as investors await economic reports

By David French

Mon July 14, 2025 4:00 PM

 

Once again, all the indexes started the day in the red but quickly began a rebound to spend most of the rest of the session in the black, even carving out modest gains all around by close. But it was mostly a day for holding close to the vest as the market continues to sidestep the latest tariff threats and stay on the fence awaiting an onslaught of new reports this week, not the least of which is the beginning of Q2 reporting. As today’s expert put it, “If anything is holding the market back, it’s the fact we’ve had a pretty good run since April.”  

S&P 500 recedes from record highs as tariffs sour sentiment

S&P 500 recedes from record highs as tariffs sour sentiment

By Noel Randewich and Pranav Kashyap

Fri July 11, 2025 4:00 PM

For the last few days, the market has been relatively complacent about tariffs. That all changed radically today with the announcement of still more tariffs with the trade war once again intensifying with Canada, the EU, Brazil and a number of other countries. Tariff and inflation anxiety is right back on the front page again. But no worries. When the Q2 reports start coming in next week, if they reveal as the market hopes that tariff impact has been minimal, and if the S&P earnings have increased by 5.7% as expected, then the bulls will start running again.  

Indexes rise, boosted by Nvidia record valuation, strong Delta forecast

Indexes rise, boosted by Nvidia record valuation, strong Delta forecast

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Thu July 10, 2025 6:15 PM

It was pretty much a shot straight up on all the indexes except for the Nasdaq which began the day heavily in the red but began a recovery around 10 a.m. and continued on the rise breaking even around 1 pm and gaining 19. But it was another handsome 3-digit gain on the Dow. Since both the S&P and Nasdaq had already registered new record highs, today was yet another record high for both. Major boosts today came from Delta which issued its yearly profit forecast which exceeded estimates and provided some more optimism.  

Wall Street rises as Fed minutes put rate cuts in focus, Nvidia hits $4 trillion milestone

Wall Street rises as Fed minutes put rate cuts in focus, Nvidia hits $4 trillion milestone

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Wed July 9, 2025 4:56 PM

Any objective reading of today’s market events would have to lead to the conclusion of very mixed signals. But today the market instead chose to focus on the positive signals and ignore the negative, thus pushing all the indexes into very respectable 3-digit gains. On the one hand, the Fed said that inflation is expected to get worse. On the other, the tariff impact is expected to be minor but, despite the headline reading “Fed Minutes Put Rate Cuts in Focus,” there really was no change.

Wall St stocks edge lower as investors look for tariff clarity

Wall St stocks edge lower as investors look for tariff clarity

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Tue July 8, 2025 4:37 PM

On this second day as the market continues to digest the Great Tariff Shock, the indexes took another dive and to say trading was choppy would be a vast understatement as all three were up and down a dozen times or more throughout the session. Tech fared considerably better than industrials with the Dow dropping 3-digits but really the only reason losses have not been much greater is because no one on Wall Street believes these tariffs are actually going to hold, as has been the trend. There will continue to be much volatility until investors get much wanted clarity on the trade negotiations. The Fed minutes come Wednesday which will be parsed for clarity on inflation and rate cuts. Volume remains below average at 17.03 billion vs 18.3 billion. 

DJ: 44,406.36  -422.17       NAS: 20,412.52  -188.59      S&P: 6,229.98  -49.37        7/7

DJ: 44,240.76  -165.60       NAS: 20,418.46  +5.95         S&P: 6,225.52  -4.46          7/8

Tue 7-8-25 4:37 pm Wall St stocks edge lower as investors look for tariff clarity | Reuters

Wall St knocked lower by tariff jitters; Musk's political plan hits Tesla

Wall St knocked lower by tariff jitters; Musk's political plan hits Tesla

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Mon July 7, 2025 4:42 PM

On Thursday, trade wars and budget bill concerns all went on the back burner, way back on the burners, with the excitement over the terrific jobs report. In fact, on Thursday, the tariff issues were widely considered to be in the rearview mirror. So what a difference a day makes. Today, with the announcement of new hefty tariffs on Japan, South Korea and others, as well as Tesla taking a major dive with Musk forming the all-new “America Party” to further challenge Trump, all three indexes also took a major dive.  

S&P 500, Nasdaq close at records on jobs data; Nvidia market cap nears $4 trillion

S&P 500, Nasdaq close at records on jobs data; Nvidia market cap nears $4 trillion

By Sabrina Valle

Thu July 3, 2025 4:39 PM

Today was once again proof that, on Wall Street, nobody knows anything. It was just yesterday that the consensus was a strong desire for a weak jobs report as that would likely mean sooner rate cuts. Instead, it was a terrific jobs report with 33% more jobs than forecast and the unemployment rate falling more than expected. This was supposed to be a downer but instead triggered a big rally with investors quickly deciding to look past the rate cut issue and instead focus on the exuberant news of a healthy jobs market and healthy economy. Tariffs, budget bill, inflation, national debt and all other worrying issues also went on the backburner today.

S&P 500, Nasdaq close on record high on Vietnam trade deal, tech stocks

S&P 500, Nasdaq close on record high on Vietnam trade deal, tech stocks

By Sabrina Valle

Wed July 2, 2025 5:02 PM

After yesterday’s report showing job gains in May had been higher than previously reported, thus being one contributing factor boosting the market, this morning another report showed lower than expected new jobs in June, thus opening all three indexes in the red. However, news of a trade deal with Vietnam quickly reversed course and at least the trade-sensitive tech indexes saw a continuous rise all day. And, as usual, when tech goes up industrials go down and the Dow was in the red almost all day but landed comfortably flat by close.

Nasdaq, S&P 500 close lower, weighed by tech stocks, Dow ends up

Nasdaq, S&P 500 close lower, weighed by tech stocks, Dow ends up

By Sabrina Valle

Tue July 1, 2025 5:33 PM

For years now, there have been concerns that with a handful of tech companies that dominate the market, should they go south, could crash the market out. That was the sentiment today as both the Nasdaq and S&P pulled back substantially from their recent rallies. And as tech goes south so industrials go north as funds flow out of risky assets into safer havens and the Dow had another very big 3-digit day. Investors were playing a tug-of-war between the concentration in tech and optimism over expected stimulus from the new budget bill, but also weighing that against the enormous cost of the bill.  

S&P 500, Nasdaq close at record highs, cap best quarter in over a year

S&P 500, Nasdaq close at record highs, cap best quarter in over a year

By Sabrina Valle

Mon June 30, 2025 5:02 PM

A continuing raft of soft data triggering hopes for rate cuts along with optimism over trade deals shot the indexes up again with the S&P today finally reaching a new record high after months of being down. The good news is that the 2^nd quarter has closed with gains all around, the S&P up 10.57%, the Nasdaq 17.75, the Dow 4.98%. The bad news is that Q1 was so bad that it is still the worst first-half in 3 years. There’s also the problem of more and more Republicans pushing back on Trump’s bills and policies and the tariffs continuing to create an awful lot of tension.

S&P 500, Nasdaq hit record closing highs amid trade negotiations, rate cut bets

S&P 500, Nasdaq hit record closing highs amid trade negotiations, rate cut bets

By Stephen Culp

Fri June 27, 2025 4:30 PM  

Today’s PCE data showing weakening consumer spending for a second day strengthened the case for the Fed to cut rates sooner than later and that among other weakening data sent stocks into very substantial 3-digit gains for a second day. The Dow rose over 600 points in the morning session but then, along with all the indexes, took a major dive at about 1 pm before beginning a recovery around 3 pm to close with still substantial gains. It was at about 1 pm when Trump announced the termination of trade negotiations with Canada.  

Wall Street ends higher on rate cuts, S&P 500, Nasdaq miss record highs

Wall Street ends higher on rate cuts, S&P 500, Nasdaq miss record highs

By Stephen Culp

Thu June 26, 2025 6:36 PM  

All the indexes trended straight up today with some more impressive 3-digit gains given the combo of the tenuous Israel-Iran truce continuing to hold and a variety of downgraded economic factors that gave rise to hopes of rate cuts sooner than later. Among such factors was a revised GDP showing more contraction than before, weaker consumer spending and jobless claims reaching multi-year highs suggesting cracks in the labor market. Stimulus also came by way of the Fed proposing to relax its leverage rules, which would make it easier for the banks to make riskier loans.  

Wall Street ends mixed amid cooling Middle East tensions; Powell in focus

Wall Street ends mixed amid cooling Middle East tensions; Powell in focus

By Stephen Culp

Wed June 25, 2025 4:29 PM

The Reuters analyst below referred to the day’s action as a “pause” but the charts tell a story of a day-long sell-off. There’s no mystery to this what with the uncertainty and murkiness surrounding the Israel-Iran situation with Trump claiming obliteration while the intelligence agencies saying at least preliminarily that the damage was modest and Tehran’s nuclear program is far from destroyed. The truce, though tenuous, continues to hold but there remains a lack of clarity about Iran. The S&P started in the black but ended flat while the Nasdaq had a much better day in the black all day though it fell from a morning high of +140 to close at less than half that.  

Wall St ends sharply higher, S&P 500 nears record high as Middle East tensions cool

Wall St ends sharply higher, S&P 500 nears record high as Middle East tensions cool

By Stephen Culp

Tue June 24, 2025 4:27 PM

Following on the heels of the U.S. attack on Iran which sparked a big rally yesterday, and despite the fact that the declared truce has already been violated by Israel, the fact that there is any cooling of the tensions at all caused another major rally today with both tech and industrials advancing with big 3-digit gains. Powell again restated his oft-quoted view that rate cuts can wait until we have a much clearer picture of the tariffs with the oddsmakers now putting July at 20% and September at 70%.  

Wall St ends higher as rate-cut hopes offset Iran war fears

Wall St ends higher as rate-cut hopes offset Iran war fears

By Stephen Culp

Mon June 23, 2025 4:39 PM

After posting respectable gains in the morning, all three indexes took a big dump at the noon hour going well into the red before almost immediately bouncing back to close with very nice 3-digit gains after all. There was a huge sigh of relief over Iran when uncertainty over an attack turned to certainty when the attack took place this weekend. There was more relief that Iran’s retaliation was not nearly as severe as feared and even more so that they did not move to close the Gulf of Hormuz, which would have seriously restricted oil supply.

S&P 500, Nasdaq end down; investors brace for more Middle East news

S&P 500, Nasdaq end down; investors brace for more Middle East news

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Fri June 20, 2025 4:00 PM

All three opened with gains but then quickly went into decline with tech hitting red as early as 10:30 and staying there while the Dow dipped into losses around 1:30 but then recovered to a very modest gain by close. The Reuters summary begins with the sentence, “Trading was choppy for much of the session.” No kidding, what with the U.S. threatening to attack Iran and now Iran refusing further negotiations until Israel stops its attacks.  

S&P 500 ends nearly flat, gives back gains; Fed's Powell says inflation to rise

S&P 500 ends nearly flat, gives back gains; Fed's Powell says inflation to rise

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Wed June 18, 2025 5:33 PM

All three indexes were up considerably in the morning, the Dow up some 300 by 11 a.m., then began a steady decline all day until 2:30 when suddenly all three plummeted. Yesterday, Trump very bluntly demanded unconditional surrender from Iran with a tangible threat of U.S. military attack. Today, Iran even more bluntly rejected that demand and promised serious reprisals against our bases if there is an attack. Could this announcement have come at 11 a.m.?  

Indexes end lower as Israel-Iran fighting raises investor anxiety

Indexes end lower as Israel-Iran fighting raises investor anxiety

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Tue June 17, 2025 6:52 PM

The day began with moderate losses in all three indexes until 1 pm when all three suddenly and very dramatically plummeted, just as they did Friday. Yesterday, the market recovered ebulliently from Friday’s crash due to the very slight hope for peace when Iran offered concessions to end the war by the Arab states putting the squeeze on Trump to make Israel end the war. Today, Trump responded to that move by very bluntly announcing that Iran must immediately accept a total and unconditional surrender.  

Equities end higher as oil prices pull back on truce hopes

Equities end higher as oil prices pull back on truce hopes

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Mon June 16, 2025 4:31 PM

I speculated on Friday that, depending on how progress went between Israel and Iran over the weekend, the markets may indeed be taking an even bigger dive today. Indeed, the weekend and today saw dramatic increases in the mutual attacks. But today it took only the slightest hint of peace hopes to instead make the indexes surge, big 3-digit surges making up most of Friday’s lost ground.

Wall St ends sharply lower as Iran retaliates against Israel attack

Wall St ends sharply lower as Iran retaliates against Israel attack

By Noel Randewich and Kanchana Chakravarty

Fri June 13, 2025 7:32 PM

It was a pretty typical down day all morning reflecting the usual trade war and tariff anxiety. Then right after the noon hour, all the indexes plummeted drastically with much greater anxiety over the potential major disruption to the global markets that could well result from this brand new war between Israel and Iran. What’s puzzling is why did it take the market until noon to panic since the fighting had been going on since yesterday? Perhaps it was hopes that Iran would not retaliate so fiercely, and it has indeed been quite fierce. Today’s expert has predicted a protracted war which could have a devastating impact on global trade, especially if the critical Gulf of Hormuz is closed.  

S&P 500 ends higher as Oracle reignites AI rally; Boeing drops

S&P 500 ends higher as Oracle reignites AI rally; Boeing drops

By Noel Randewich and Sukriti Gupta

Fri June 12, 2025 4:19 PM

All three indexes started the day in the red, the Dow down more than 250, before starting a recovery around 10 a.m. that continued throughout the day to close with modest gains, the Dow just making 3-digits. Middle East tensions haunted at first but then Oracle came out with a strong annual revenue forecast based on growing demand for its AI services and that sprung the whole market into action. Lower than expected PPI and jobless claims also helped optimism of a weakening labor market which would keep inflation down and calm market concerns about tariffs driving higher prices.

S&P 500 ends lower; traders focus on Middle East tension and await details on trade deal

S&P 500 ends lower; traders focus on Middle East tension and await details on trade deal

By Noel Randewich and Kanchana Chakravarty

Wed June 11, 2025 4:39 PM

All three indexes enjoyed gains in the morning session, the Dow up some 250 points by 1:30, then suddenly plummeting into negative territory, all three closing in the red. What drove the buying up was likely the CPI report which showed an increase in inflation of 2.4%, below the 2.5% forecast. Additionally, there was the Trump announcement of a done deal with China with a framework agreed on to get a truce back on track.

Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures waver as US-China trade talks progress, inflation print looms

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures waver as US-China trade talks progress, inflation print looms

Amalya Dubrovsky --  Yahoo Finance

Updated Tue, June 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM EDT 

DJ: 42,761.76  -1.14         NAS: 19,591.24  +61.24       S&P: 6,005.88  +5.52        6/9

DJ: 42,866.87  +105.11    NAS: 19,714.99  +123.75     S&P: 6,038.81  +32.93      6/10

One of the problems of doing this blog is that if you’re not right there on the Internet when the markets close, a few hours later all the market summaries are gone. I was busy today so it was 11 pm before I could even get started so I couldn’t even find the index data in any article about the day’s movements. The individual charts reveal a lot of choppiness but overall ended with reasonably good gains. The only info I could glean from several articles is anticipation over the China trade talks which the White House reports are going well but with Trump’s cautionary note, “China is tough.” But mainly, everybody’s waiting for Wednesday’s CPI and Thursday’s jobless claims.  Per the CBOE, volume came in at 19.28 billion, above the average. 

Tue 6-10-25 Yahoo - Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures waver as US-China trade talks progress, inflation print looms

S&P 500 ends slightly up; traders watch US-China trade talks

S&P 500 ends slightly up; traders watch US-China trade talks

By Noel Randewich and Kanchana Chakravarty

Mon June 9, 2025 4:20 PM

The Dow swung back and forth in a range from -200 to +130 only to plummet in the last ten minutes to zero. The S&P started at zero, then sprung up after noon to a +21 before dropping back to near zero in the final hour. The Nasdaq had a good day zooming over 100 right away and staying there all day until falling back to +61 in the final hour. So the day was pretty much a wash but with tech benefitting from the trade talks with China that kicked off today and which the market has already decided will be successful until proven otherwise.

US stocks end up on jobs data, China hopes; Tesla bounces

US stocks end up on jobs data, China hopes; Tesla bounces

By Saeed Azhar, Kanchana Chakravarty and Sukriti Gupta

Fri June 6, 2025 4:26 PM

After the week’s pessimism over the health of the job market and the anticipated data in today’s payrolls report, the markets were overjoyed that jobs came in 9,000 higher than forecast, especially with April’s numbers having been revised downward. It reignited confidence that the job market was steady, unemployment was steady, and consequently the economy as a whole. This caused an immediate surge at opening bell on all the indexes, the Dow up some 600 points and more or less staying steady all day and closing 443 up.  

US stocks end lower, crude gains as Trump-Musk row distracts from trade talks, data

US stocks end lower, crude gains as Trump-Musk row distracts from trade talks, data

By Stephen Culp

Thu June 5, 2025 4:21 PM

The indexes moved in a herky-jerky fashion today as they fluctuated between red and black, the Dow swinging in almost a 400-point range between -200 and +200 several times. All three ended negative, the Dow and Nasdaq in triple digits. The upward surges were encouragement from the news that today Trump phoned Xi to talk trade, the result being a willingness to have more talks. The downward surges came as a consequence on the online feud between Trump and Musk being played out all day live on social media. Tesla’s stock dropped 14.3%.  

Wall Street ends narrowly mixed in choppy trade on weak economic data

Wall Street ends narrowly mixed in choppy trade on weak economic data

By Saeed Azhar, Kanchana Chakravarty and Sukriti Gupta

Wed June 4, 2025 4:35 PM

It was certainly a seesaw day as the indexes were up and down at least three times during the session, closing in a relatively flat position, the Dow down 91, the Nasdaq up 61, and the S&P with scarcely a 1 point gain. Today was the deadline Trump set for all the many nations involved in this global trade war to submit their proposals, though there is no reporting as to how many, if any, responded. But the day’s important news is a contraction in the services sector showing rising supply prices and inflation likely due to tariffs.  

Wall Street stocks close higher, dollar bounces back amid tariff talks, economic data

Wall Street stocks close higher, dollar bounces back amid tariff talks, economic data

By Stephen Culp

Tue June 3, 2025 4:32 PM

Optimism continues over the resolution of the trade wars as the markets await the world’s countries trade proposals which Trump has required by Wednesday. The indexes had nice 3-digit gains but all must still be viewed with a jaundiced eye given the patterns of protracted negotiations and moving deadlines which have prompted economists to downgrade forecasts. Today got a boost though from the White House announcement that Trump would be meeting this week with China’s president to talk trade and tariffs, taken as another positive step towards ending this.

S&P closes higher on trade hopes, Nvidia lifts Nasdaq

S&P closes higher on trade hopes, Nvidia lifts Nasdaq

By Saeed Azhar, Kanchana Chakravarty and Sukriti Gupta

Mon June 2, 2025 7:02 PM

All three indexes started the day in the red, the Dow down over 400, the S&P down 50, until 10 a.m. when all three started a recovery which lasted all day to close modestly in the black. Trump has once again doubled down on his tariffs and today China slammed back protesting the accusation they have violated agreements. Though some traders continue to watch trade progress with a jaundiced eye, others see optimism whereas instead of seeing these threats as a bad thing are calling them “nudges to move negotiations towards the finish line.” There is today added optimism with Trump’s announcement that he wants trade proposals from all these countries by Wednesday.  

S&P 500 ends near flat but posts biggest monthly pct gain since November 2023

S&P 500 ends near flat but posts biggest monthly pct gain since November 2023

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Fri May 30, 2025 5:26 PM

It was a more or less uneventful day until about noon when all three indexes plummeted drastically, both the Dow and Nasdaq dropping over 300 each. Trump had come out with his harsh comments on Truth Social about China, but then switching gears and changing to much more conciliatory remarks which pushed all three indexes back towards break-even by close.  

Wall Street ends up with Nvidia, appeals court reinstates Trump tariffs

Wall Street ends up with Nvidia, appeals court reinstates Trump tariffs

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Thu May 29, 2025 5:20 PM  

There was much jubilation last night as the federal trade court knocked down all the tariffs and the index futures went through the roof. Of course, the cry of “the tariffs are dead” was premature since there were still major appeals to go through, not the least being the Supreme Court, and though even more courts declared the tariffs dead throughout the day, there was still uncertainty with lots of choppy movement as the Nasdaq opened up nearly 400 (the S&P up 55) but then immediately declining throughout the day.  

Indexes end down after chip designers ease late; Nvidia jumps after the bell

Indexes end down after chip designers ease late; Nvidia jumps after the bell

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Wed May 28, 2025 5:26 PM

The bad news outweighed the good news today sending all three indexes on a steady downward trajectory with all three losing more that ½% of their value, the Dow down 3-digits, the Nasdaq just a couple points shy of 3-digits. One trigger was the Fed issuing its minutes which, though containing nothing they haven’t been saying all along, still disappointed investors hoping for positive news. But likely the biggest trigger was Trump ordering U.S. tech companies to stop selling their product to China, causing losses in certain tech companies.  

US stocks end sharply higher on Trump's tariff reprieve

US stocks end sharply higher on Trump's tariff reprieve

By Stephen Culp

Tue May 27, 2025 4:25 PM

Once again, Trump has dialed back on his tariff threats, pausing the EU 50% tariff until July, subsequently causing all three indexes to surge into major 3-digit gains all around.  As today’s expert summarized, “Investors have kind of figured Trump out a little bit. He’s like the poker player at the table that you know is making some bets and then when pressed by other players at the table, he folds.”

Wall St falls as Trump tariff threats spark market uncertainty

Wall St falls as Trump tariff threats spark market uncertainty

By Chibuike Oguh

Fri May 23, 2025 6:19 PM

Maybe it’s just because it’s a major holiday weekend but I had to go through about six market summary reports to find one that actually said something, let alone give me some actual data. This was quite surprising considering how badly the session went today. It might all be summed up by the famous movie slogan, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water,” but translated to the markets, “Just when you thought all the tariff jitters were over.”  This morning Trump announced some major new tariffs including 50% on the EU and 25% on Apple phones made outside the U.S., of which almost all are.  

Wall Street stocks end mostly flat in choppy trade as Treasury yields ease

Wall Street stocks end mostly flat in choppy trade as Treasury yields ease

By Chibuike Oguh

Thu May 22, 2025 4:36 PM

The indexes were all having a very good day, all achieving handsome 3-digit gains until the final half hour when everything dropped to the floor again with the Dow and S&P closing flat, the Nasdaq with a modest gain. The tax bill passed the House by a 1-vote margin but that was evidently already priced in since the concerns today turned to tariffs and interest rates, even concerns over the bond market easing with Treasury yields dropping of recent highs. 

Wall Street stocks tumble as worries mount about US debt

Wall Street stocks tumble as worries mount about US debt

By Chibuike Oguh

Wed May 21, 2025 7:15 PM

Everything was going along on a more or less even keel until 1 pm when the sky fell and all the indexes plummeted in a major way with 3-digit losses all around and an especially harsh 816-point loss on the Dow. This is all due to Wall Street being scared to death of this new tax bill and the very large increment it will add to the already enormous federal debt.  

Wall Street stocks slip, rising US Treasury yields in focus

Wall Street stocks slip, rising US Treasury yields in focus

By Chibuike Oguh

Tue May 20, 2025 6:53 PM

For a second day, the markets grappled with Moody’s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating spending, most of the session modestly in the red. Then at 2 pm, all hell broke loose and all three indexes dove like a rock, the Dow down some 300 points by 3 pm when, again, all three began a rebound which resulted in much more modest losses at close. Perhaps what happened at 2 pm was the intense debate in Congress over Trump’s new huge tax bill which the experts forecast will add up to $5 trillion or about 14% to the debt, which definitely won’t do the credit rating any good.  

Wall Street stocks finish flat with sentiment weakened by Moody's downgrade

Wall Street stocks finish flat with sentiment weakened by Moody's downgrade

By Chibuike Oguh

Mon May 19, 2025 6:16 PM

All three indexes started the session deeply in the red, the Dow and Nasdaq both down some 300 points out the gate, but then all began a slow ascent to break-even by close for the tech sector and another nice 3-digit gain for industrials. The early morning panic was due to Friday’s Moody’s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating from Aaa (the highest) to Aa1 (2^nd highest) due to the $36 trillion in debt the federal government has now reached.  

Wall Street advances on trade hopes, data shows investor pessimism

Wall Street advances on trade hopes, data shows investor pessimism

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Fri May 16, 2025 4:37 PM

Starting out flat all around, all three indexes then rose to still new heights steadily throughout the session and all three indexes had significant advances on the week. This was all despite the U of M Consumer Sentiment report showing an increase in pessimism as well as heightened expectations of inflation and recession. But the market is still riding the wave of optimism from the tariff pause, though today it’s wait-and-see again on the tax bill which has been blocked. Caution remains, “We haven’t even begun to see what happens when those tariffs really bite, when firms have to raise their prices to consumers and consumers see fewer goods and less variety on the shelves.” Volume came in at 17.6 billion, slightly above the 17 billion average.

DJ: 42,322.75  +271.69      NAS: 19,112.32  -34.49        S&P: 5,916.93  +24.35        5/15

DJ: 42,654.74  +331.99      NAS: 19,211.10  +98.78       S&P: 5,958.38  +41.45        5/16

Fri 5-16-25 4:37 pm Wall Street advances on trade hopes, data shows investor pessimism | Reuters

Wall Street ends mixed; Cisco rallies while UnitedHealth tumbles

Wall Street ends mixed; Cisco rallies while UnitedHealth tumbles

By Noel Randewich and Pranav Kashyap

Thu May 15, 2025 4:20 PM

All three indexes started the day in the red, the Dow down nearly 300, the Nasdaq even worse percentage-wise at nearly -200. Then they all began a recovery with the Dow ultimately going well into positive territory and the S&P in its seventh straight day of gains having now fully recovered from the dramatic April losses but still 4% below its February high. The Nasdaq spent almost all day in the red.  

S&P 500 barely gains, investors focus on trade, wait for data

S&P 500 barely gains, investors focus on trade, wait for data

By Sinéad Carew and Shashwat Chauhan

Wed May 14, 2025 4:44 PM

It was a flat day for the S&P, another good day for the Nasdaq and yet another day of profit-taking for the Dow as it came down another notch or two from Monday’s enormous rally. Given no major new data today and looking for PPI and retail sales numbers coming tomorrow, it was a relatively quiet day with tech still moving up as it will be the biggest beneficiary of the tariff pause, and the S&P enjoying now six straight days of gains and now just 4% below its February high before the tariff turmoil dissed it. All eyes are peeled for any sign that the trade war has impacted the economy with no major signs yet but uncertainty prevails. 19.73 billion shares were traded, well above the 16.77 average. 

DJ: 42,140.43  -269.67      NAS: 19,010.09  +301.74      S&P: 5,886.55  +42.36         5/13

DJ: 42,051.06  -89.37        NAS: 19,146.81  +136.72      S&P: 5,892.58  +6.03           5/14

Wed 5-14-25 4:44 pm S&P 500 barely gains, investors focus on trade, wait for data | Reuters

S&P 500, Nasdaq end higher on soft inflation data, trade optimism

S&P 500, Nasdaq end higher on soft inflation data, trade optimism

By Sinéad Carew and Shashwat Chauhan

Tue May 13, 2025 4:41 PM

On a second day of exuberance over the China tariff pause, the tech indexes were substantially straight up again with the Dow taking a break from its enormous rally yesterday with investors taking some profits. This makes sense as the tariff pause poses a big benefit to tech. It took six weeks but today the Nasdaq and S&P has recovered all its losses since “Liberation Day.”

Wall Street equity indexes close higher after US-China tariff truce

Wall Street equity indexes close higher after US-China tariff truce

By Sinéad Carew and Shashwat Chauhan

Mon May 12, 2025 6:52 PM

All three indexes catapulted into the stratosphere right out the gate and stayed that way steadily all day to close with huge gains, the biggest single-day gains in over a month. And what a relief rally it was! The Dow actually broke a +1100, the Nasdaq almost +800 and the S&P into 3-digits which it rarely does. On Friday, expectations were high, though guarded, that there would be progress this weekend in Geneva and though such progress was limited to just a 90-day pause, it was the first really positive step with China and so was greeted with great enthusiasm this morning. 

Wall St closes near flat with focus on US-China talks

Wall St closes near flat with focus on US-China talks

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Fri May 9, 2025 4:17 PM

The big deal is the coming trade talks with China this weekend in Geneva and since the consensus is that things could go either way, the market indexes waffled back and forth most of the day between red and black but mostly straddling break-even. The exception was the Dow which went more deeply into the black most of the day reaching a low point of about a -220 but eventually closing at a -119. 

Wall Street gains as first trade deal reached

Wall Street gains as first trade deal reached

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Thu May 8, 2025 7:00 PM

 

It was a very good day all around even though it started much, much better. Though a slow start, there was a great big jump at 11 a.m. and by noon all the indexes were way up, the Dow up 630 at its height, then suddenly dramatically tumbling in the final half hour. Nonetheless, the day ended with handsome gains all around. After a long wait and much anticipation, the first trade deal was announced, this one with Britain, with some concessions though the tariff would remain in place.  

Late chip rally lifts stocks after Fed holds rates steady

Late chip rally lifts stocks after Fed holds rates steady

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Wed May 7, 2025 7:12 PM

It certainly was a seesaw day all day on all indexes with the S&P and Nasdaq rising and falling between black and red while the Dow went from a high of about +440 ranging to a low of break-even before rallying again at 2 pm to close up 284.  Something happened to cause the crash that happened about 1 pm which cost the Dow all of its gains for the day. Even though the Fed had held rates steady which was widely expected, Powell made the announcement the White House actions were the reason the economic outlook was cloudy, again hardly a state secret.  

Equities close lower as tariff uncertainty weighs

Equities close lower as tariff uncertainty weighs

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Tue May 6, 2025 4:30 PM

Tariff uncertainty continues to haunt the markets and that sent all the indexes straight down today, the Dow and Nasdaq with fairly large 3-digit losses. This was all exacerbated by the announcement of still more tariffs to come, this time on pharmaceuticals. Adding to the turmoil was some walking back from the earlier statement that there would be new trade deals this week, now changed to two more weeks. This is the kind of change the market doesn’t like, continues to sour consumer sentiment as well, plus the added negative of more companies withdrawing profit outlooks. Volume reflects all this, coming in at 14.24 billion, still way below the 4-week average of 17.95 billion. 

DJ: 41,218.83  -98.60       NAS: 17,844.24  -133.49      S&P: 5,650.38  -36.29          5/5

DJ: 40,829.00  -389.83     NAS: 17,689.66  -154.58      S&P: 5,606.90  -43.48          5/6

Tue 5-6-25 4:30 pm Equities close lower as tariff uncertainty weighs | Reuters

S&P 500 snaps 9-session win streak after latest Trump tariff

S&P 500 snaps 9-session win streak after latest Trump tariff

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Mon May 5, 2025 4:16 PM  

After the S&P’s longest winning streak in 20 years and the Dow’s longest in two, all three indexes dove today in what the experts could only characterize as “nine up days is hard to maintain.” The session started way down, the Dow opening down almost 250, the S&P and Nasdaq much more dramatically at -50 and -190.  Then there was an almost immediate resurgence until 3 pm when the Dow even went momentarily in the black reaching a gain of almost 150 before all declined again. Several triggers included more tariff announcements, continued concerns over how tariffs will impact profits, and Warren Buffett announcing stepping down as CEO at year’s end though he will remain as chair. Wait-and-see is still very much in play as reflected by way below average volume of 13.67 billion vs 18.68 average.  

DJ: 41,317.43  +564.47       NAS: 17,977.73  +266.99      S&P: 5,686.68  +82.54        5/2

DJ: 41,218.83  -98.60          NAS: 17,844.24  -133.49       S&P: 5,650.38  -36.29         5/5

Mon 5-5-25 4:36 pm S&P 500 snaps 9-session win streak after latest Trump tariff | Reuters