After inching eerily close to circuit-breaker level, the S&P 500 came off its lows of the day to finish down by approximately 3.3%. The broader stock market was under pressure all day long, leading to a nearly 1,000-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and 4% loss for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite.
While President Trump’s tariff relief worked yesterday, today was a different story as the markets were fixated on the unresolved China and U.S. trade war. President Trump’s White House has placed a 145% levy on Chinese imports. Despite the tariffs, Big Tech companies like Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) are not relenting on AI capex spending.
Here’s a look at today’s closing numbers right after the closing bell:
Dow Jones Industrial Average: Down 964.73 (-2.38%)
Nasdaq Composite: Down 698.15 (-4.08%)
S&P 500: Down 181.50 (-3.3%)
The S&P 500 is sinking over 6% as it nears what is known as a circuit break breaker in which trading is halted to prevent further panic. The first level of circuit breaker is 7%, which is only a stone’s throw from current declines. President Trump is currently addressing a Cabinet meeting while stocks respond to China tariff fears. CarMax (NYSE: KMX) remains one of the worst performers of the day, shaving off 20% of its value today. Trillions of dollars in market value are being erased in a highly volatile week of trading.
The stock market fear has returned, as stocks give back much of yesterday’s historic gains. Morgan Stanley is focused on opportunities, saying that Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) remains on its top pick list despite the tariff uncertainty. The Trump Administration has slapped 145% tariffs on China after lowering the levy on other countries. Markets have erased about 50% of yesterday’s advance and it’s only noon.
The markets are paying little attention to President Trump’s tariff pause, choosing instead to focus on the possibility of an economic recession or even depression. The three major stock market averages remain under intense selling pressure, including a 2.6% drop in the S&P 500 today.
Wall Street firm Citigroup has upgraded its outlook on U.S. stocks now that President Trump has found tariff middle ground. So far that improved forecast has failed to lift sentiment in a fear-filled market.
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The markets resumed their usual ways today in a tariff-fear sparked sell-off that put an abrupt halt to yesterday’s massive rally. The S&P 500 is spiraling by 2.5% on the day, as talk of recession and even depression make their way into these headline-driven markets. Yesterday was one of the best days in history on Wall Street, but the excitement has been replaced by a massive dose of fear despite progress on tariffs.
The markets are seemingly ignoring the latest economic data revealing that inflation is headed in the right direction – lower. March’s CPI report showed inflation eased to 2.4%, a refreshing surprise compared with 2.8% in the previous month. Stocks have a one-track mind and it is on tariffs.
Dollar Tree (Nasdaq: DLTR | DLTR Price Prediction) is gaining 2.4% on the day. Discount retailers are in a defensive position in this uncertain economy where a recession could be knocking on the door. Dow Jones Industrial Average component Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is up 1.7%.
Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) is gaining 4.4% in today’s market as investors pile into safe-have investments like gold miners. NEM has been on a tear, nearing its 52-week high, as Wall Street predicts there is runway for greater gains in the stock up ahead.
Yesterday’s winner in the S&P 500, Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL), has reversed course alongside the broader markets, falling 8.2%.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: Down 833.14 (-2.05%)
Nasdaq Composite: Down 564.08 (-3.2%)
S&P 500: Down 144.95 (-2.6%)
There are some gainers in the S&P 500 today. Costco Wholesale (Nasdaq: COST) is up 2.6% as it continues to flex its pricing power in the economic uncertainty.
CarMax (NYSE: KMX) is a drag, falling 19.5% and weighing on the S&P 500’s performance today. The used-car retailer missed its fiscal Q4 profit expectations and has hit the pause button on future outlooks, causing reason for concern.
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Gerelyn Terzo is the author of dividend investing handbook "Dividend Investing Strategies: How to Have Your Cake & Eat It Too." A veteran financial journalist, she covers agri-finance for outlets like Global AgInvesting and the broader stock market and personal finance for 24/7 Wall Street. She began at CNBC and later helped launch Fox Business in New York. Gerelyn currently resides in Woodland Park, Colorado and dabbles in nature photography as a hobby.
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