Markets Widen Lead After Fed Holds Rates Steady

The markets remain in a good mood after the Federal Reserve revealed it would keep interest rates on hold for now. All three of the major stock market indices remain in the green and in fact have widened their lead a bit in a display of either relief or confidence, whichever one it is remains to be seen.

Also buoying stocks is the Fed’s tone, which makes room for two interest rate cuts in 2025. While this pace is down from a previous expectation for four, it’s much better than none, with the borrowing rate guide continuing to hover between 4.25% and 4.5% for now. Besides, the markets have already priced in the Fed’s updated path.

Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) stock is rising 2.7% on the day after CEO Jensen Huang suggested he isn’t losing any sleep over the tariff issue as the impact won’t be material in the short term.

Build-a-Bear-Workshop (NYSE: BBW) is getting some buzz after the company increased its dividend payout by 10% to $0.22 per share in recent days.

Here’s an update on where the major stock market averages are following the Fed’s remarks:

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Up 242.15 (+0.58%)
Nasdaq Composite: Up 206.78 (+1.1%)
S&P 500:  Up 44.01 (+0.81%)

We’ll check back in later to see if the markets were able to make it over the finish line in the green.

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Markets Show Optimism

Mar 19, 2025 8:32 AM | Gerelyn Terzo

Live

On this closely watched Fed day, stocks are holding their own. The three major stock market indices are widening their earlier gains as traders and investors show optimism that the Federal Reserve will do the right thing, which for now appears to be hold interest rates steady. Boeing (NYSE: BA), Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) and Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) are top gainers.

Here’s a roundup of where the stock market averages are trading:

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Up 246.95 (+0.59%)
Nasdaq Composite: Up 148.07 (+0.86%)
S&P 500: Up 37.21 (+0.66%)

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