Wall St ends lower as White House says Trump to implement tariffs

Wall St ends lower as White House says Trump to implement tariffs

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Fri January 31, 2025 5:04 PM

Though there was a little backpedaling on tariffs yesterday, they were back in the news full force today. As the tariffs were up starting Saturday, the market was down and it was no surprise that the sectors hardest hit were electronics and energy, the two industries expected to be most impacted by tariffs. All the indexes were rather handsomely in the black during the morning until about 1:00 p.m., the Nasdaq up some 300 points. It was precisely at that hour that Trump must have announced that the tariffs were on because at that precise hour, all three indexes dropped like a rock.  

Indexes end up as investors weigh earnings; tariff talk a damper

Indexes end up as investors weigh earnings; tariff talk a damper

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Thu January 30, 2025 6:51 PM

After a tepid beginning to the day, triggered mostly by Microsoft announcing a weaker forecast after yesterday’s strong Q4, all the indexes got a boost right around 12:30 brought on by a stack of Q4 reports including Meta and IBM beating forecasts. More than 70% of reporting S&P companies have now beaten forecasts. Investors are also now looking the other way from Tesla’s disappointing Q4 after today’s Musk comments about future Tesla plans helped boost that stock and the market.  

US stocks dip, dollar steady as traders digest Fed rate pause, tech earnings

US stocks dip, dollar steady as traders digest Fed rate pause, tech earnings

By Lawrence Delevingne and Marc Jones

Wed January 29, 2025 4:59 PM

Although it’s long been expected that the Fed would keep rates steady this month, the one thing the Fed did differently today was omitting the usual reassuring comments about inflation being on the right path or giving a potential timeline for the next cut. Instead it was a simple announcement of no change and that was enough to send all three indexes into a tailspin, the Dow down over 370 points by 2:30 which seemed to be the time that Microsoft turned in its good Q4 report which in turn sent the market into a rebound.   

Nasdaq leads Wall St higher, tech shares recover from Monday's sell-off

Nasdaq leads Wall St higher, tech shares recover from Monday's sell-off

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Tue January 28, 2025 6:44 PM

The bargain hunters were out in force from the outset today with both tech and Nvidia recapturing more than half of yesterday’s losses, though the overall chip index regained only 1.1%, a far cry from the 9.2% lost yesterday. The S&P tech sector had its biggest daily percentage gain since July. The was of course the typical bounceback that is always expected after a day of panic so yesterday’s expert was quite correct.  

Nasdaq drops 3% as China's DeepSeek AI model hits tech shares

Nasdaq drops 3% as China's DeepSeek AI model hits tech shares

By Caroline Valetkevitch

Mon January 27, 2025 5:25 PM

Tech plummeted like a rock and there was a flight to the more conventional industrials as the Chinese firm DeepSeek made the troubling announcement, challenging U.S. and Nvidia dominance, that they had built a bigger, better mousetrap in AI, sending Nvidia into the biggest one-day loss in history, 17%, and sending all the other sectors down with it. But to put things in perspective, though it was the biggest one-day loss, it’s only been since September that Nvidia had its other “biggest” one-day loss. The S&P also suffered its biggest one-day loss but only since Jan 10^th.  The overall chip index fared much worse registering its biggest one-day loss, a whopping 9.2%, in nearly five years.  

Wall St slips with mixed data and earnings ahead of Fed week

Wall St slips with mixed data and earnings ahead of Fed week

By Sinéad Carew and Johann M Cherian

Fri January 24, 2025 4:37 PM

A bag of mixed data including business activity slowing to a nine-month low contrasted with increased hiring which would only support the Fed’s position to slow the pace of rate cuts, all contributed to sending investors into cautionary mode and fence-sitting awaiting next week’s abundant economic news and monthly Fed meeting. All three indexes took a shot down after about the noon hour and going down all afternoon to close with losses, the Dow down 3-digits, the Nasdaq almost that far.  

S&P 500 notches closing record with focus on Trump comments, earnings

S&P 500 notches closing record with focus on Trump comments, earnings

By Sinéad Carew and Johann M Cherian

Fri January 23, 2025 4:53 PM

Trump’s comments today demanding that OPEC lower oil prices and that the Fed continue more rate cuts injected a megadose of optimism into the markets shooting the Dow up to a mid-3-digit gain and the S&P to another record high. This is contrasted however with the announcement of 25% tariffs going into effect February 1 on Canada, Mexico and China. Since we get so much of our oil comes from Canada, how investors think the price of oil is coming down falls somewhere in the realm of wishful thinking.  

S&P 500 hits record high with boost from Netflix results, AI investment plan

S&P 500 hits record high with boost from Netflix results, AI investment plan

By Sinéad Carew and Johann M Cherian

Thu January 22, 2025 6:38 PM

Elon Musk aside who says it cannot happen, Trump’s announcement of a $300B investment in AI shot the whole tech index straight up again, the chip index especially up 1.7%. The Dow also rode on these coattails, though not as much as in previous sessions as stated by today’s expert, “It’s a story of big tech and everything else is hanging in there.” But the euphoria continues, triggered Monday by the news that the new administration’s tariff policies would likely be far less draconian than feared, even if there is still considerable concern about what may be coming February 1^st.  

Wall Street ends higher with hopes for measured US trade policy

Wall Street ends higher with hopes for measured US trade policy

By Sinéad Carew and Johann M Cherian

Tue January 21, 2025 6:09 PM

It was a second straight day of all the indexes shooting straight up right out the gate and staying there all day, mostly on big relief that tariffs were not included among the 200+ executive orders Trump signed since yesterday. The 47^th president is now hinting that he may merely impose duties on Canadian and Mexican goods rather than the much feared blanket tariffs and it remains the markets’ high hopes that the new president will indeed approach the issue, rather than issuing tariffs, instead using the mere threat as a negotiating tactic.  

Stocks rally to close out strong week, await Trump policies

Stocks rally to close out strong week, await Trump policies

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Fri January 17, 2025 4:37 PM

After yet another day of positive data showing the strength and resilience of the economy, investors today decided it was time to celebrate on this final market day before Trump begins his second administration. Positive housing news combined with continued good corporate earnings reports plus Fed Governor Waller’s statement yesterday that, given the fact that inflation is expected to continue easing, rate cuts could come sooner and faster after all, for the first time since the rate cut scare started, the odds of a June cut are now above 50%.  

Wall Street slips after rally as earnings, data eyed

Wall Street slips after rally as earnings, data eyed

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Thu January 16, 2025 5:16 PM

Yesterday’s ebullience was replaced by today’s caution and continuing uncertainty as the indexes once again swung back and forth between black and red several times, but only modestly so. The Nasdaq took a slightly bigger hit being in the red virtually all day and closing down 3-digits, though all of the losses were just a small fraction of yesterday’s gains. So it was a day to take breath despite a considerable amount of good news which included the big banks, which are the market’s bellwether, still coming in with strong earnings.  

Wall St surges as inflation data, bank earnings fuel rally

Wall St surges as inflation data, bank earnings fuel rally

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Wed January 15, 2025 4:53 PM

Yesterday’s PPI wasn’t enough to change the needle but today’s CPI sure as heck was. It didn’t seem to matter that the numbers still came in with its highest increase in nine months, but still lower than expected. The fact that it wasn’t on fire triggered an enormous rally at the outset that continued all day with all three indexes enjoying 3-digit gains, the biggest in two months, the Dow up over 700. The Fed Beige Book showed economic activity increased slightly which immediately increased the odds for a June rate.  

S&P 500 edges higher, Nasdaq dips in choppy session as inflation data eyed

S&P 500 edges higher, Nasdaq dips in choppy session as inflation data eyed

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Tue January 14, 2025 7:08 PM

In a very choppy session swinging back and forth between black and red at least four times, investors sit on pins and needles waiting for this week’s inflation data, given a bit of a reprieve today with PPI coming in a little lower than expected but not low enough to move the needle on rate cut expectations which remain today at a 50% chance of a ¼ point rate cut no earlier than June, and nothing after that. With the much more closely watched CPI and Beige Book coming in starting tomorrow, reevaluations may be coming then. Or more likely, more of the same.  

Nasdaq closes lower, S&P 500 up slightly as US yields stay elevated

Nasdaq closes lower, S&P 500 up slightly as US yields stay elevated

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Mon January 13, 2025 5:14 PM

The resilient economy combined with rising prices continues to push up bond yields and lower hopes for more rate cuts which are today down to just one ¼ point cut this year, perhaps in June, and even that at just 53%. Both the Nasdaq and S&P were in the red all day, all starting well into the red, the Nasdaq down some 330 points in the morning, though rising all day and recovering to only modest losses by close, the S&P even slightly above break-even.  

Treasury yields rise, stock falls pressured by stronger-than-expected US jobs data

Treasury yields rise, stock falls pressured by stronger-than-expected US jobs data

By Chibuike Oguh and Amanda Cooper

Fri January 10, 2025 5:37 PM

It was another good news = bad news day as way above forecasted job numbers threw a very wet blanket on rate cut expectations and caused all the indexes to severely plunge at the outset and stay down all day, both the Dow and Nasdaq into serious 3-digit losses.  It was yet another day when investors were far less interested in good economic news and much more in Fed action. The forecast for the next cut has now been moved from May to June (at earliest) added to doubts that there will another one before year-end.  

Wall Street little changed as investors assess inflation path

Wall Street little changed as investors assess inflation path

By Johann M Cherian, Sukriti Gupta and Carolina Mandl

Wed January 8, 2025 4:32 PM

The market became truly schizophrenic today with severe seesaw action as the indexes bounced back and forth between black and red several times, the Dow itself swinging back and forth between a -200 and +100 all day. The inciting incidents were two conflicting employment reports, one saying payrolls were down, the other saying new jobless claims were also down – so which one do you believe? The other conflict was Trump floating the idea of declaring a national emergency on inflation to enable him to order tariffs that, ironically, are widely feared to spark more inflation.  

Wall Street ends lower as inflation fears mount

Wall Street ends lower as inflation fears mount

By Johann M Cherian, Sukriti Gupta and Carolina Mandl

Tue January 7, 2025 4:34 PM

It was a shot straight down on all the indexes, particularly tech, as inflation concerns came back full force on the front burner again. Not only are Trump’s inflationary tariffs once again front and center after a very brief hiatus yesterday, but unexpected data showing increased job openings and accelerating services activity put a damper on the market’s consensus the economy was slowing down and we were in the final inning on the inflation fight.  

S&P 500, Nasdaq end higher, driven by tech stocks

S&P 500, Nasdaq end higher, driven by tech stocks

By Sruthi Shankar, Johann M Cherian and Carolina Mandl

Mon January 6, 2025 4:32 PM

For the first day of the first full week of the New Year, stocks soared once again as they did on the final day of the first week last Friday. Today it was not so much profit-taking as a newspaper report that allayed the market’s greatest fear about Trump and that is the tariffs driving up inflation. The report said that proposed tariffs would not be nearly as severe as previously stated and, though Trump wasted no time repudiating the voracity of the report and that he had no intention of watering down his plans, the market chose to believe the report.  

Wall Street ends sharply higher with assist from tech; investors eye Trump policies

Wall Street ends sharply higher with assist from tech; investors eye Trump policies

By Stephen Culp

Fri January 3, 2025 4:16 PM

Well, the indexes were way up right at open and stayed that way all day. You could say that Santa Claus finally showed up on the final day of the legendary rally. Or you could say that investors finally decided that prices had gone low enough so went on some bargain hunting. One could also say that, despite the lingering fears of inflation-stoking tariffs, the markets decided on this final day to instead focus on pro-business policies expected from a Trump administration.  

Stocks stumble as Tesla weighs, dollar hits 2-yr high

Stocks stumble as Tesla weighs, dollar hits 2-yr high

By Chuck Mikolajczak

Thu January 2, 2025 4:35 PM

All three indexes enjoyed a very nice bump in the morning, the Dow up over 350 points, lending hope that the Santa Claus rally may still be in play. But those hopes were dashed as early 10 a.m. when they all started downhill again, reaching break-even around noon and diving into the red the rest of the session. The S&P and Nasdaq saw their 5^th straight day of declines, their longest stretch since April. And despite unemployment benefits dropping to their lowest in two years, and well below forecast, showing the economy continues to be resilient and strong, consumer discretionary, the main engine of this economy, fell.