What’s more, the steep selloff following the April 2 tariff announcement has been fully reversed for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, with both benchmarks now comfortably above those levels. While the Dow, small-cap Russell 2000, and mid-cap S&P 400 still have ground to recover, all are up double digits from their early April lows.
Trade Tensions Ease, Markets Move Upward
According to FactSet, 73% of companies beat expectations, making for a pretty good week across the board. The Nasdaq led the charge higher, and small- and mid-cap stocks logged their third straight week of gains. The major indexes have now put some real distance between themselves, and their recent correction lows the past couple of weeks. Since then, the Dow was up over 9%, the S&P 500 was up better than 14%, the Nasdaq has had an impressive 17+% return.
Shortened Week Sees Market Dips
On a brighter note, the bond market offered some relief. As stocks declined, government bond yields fell, leading to gains in bond prices. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped by about 0.16% to close the week around 4.3% while the US Dollar closed essentially unchanged, providing a tailwind to commodities in general. Gold rallied another 2.1% to fresh all-time highs, Copper added another 3.5%, and Oil bucked the recent down-trend with a gain of nearly 4%.
Volatility In The Market Ends With A Win
Once the dust settled, the S&P 500 Index finished up 5.70% for the week, while the Nasdaq Composite closed 7.29% higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average put up nearly 5% for the week, while the small cap Russell 2000 Index lagged, but still posted a 1.82% gain.
Tariff Turbulence Continues Shaking Markets
The turbulence began on Tuesday, April 2nd, when President Trump implemented a minimum 10% tariff on all countries, with higher rates for nations where the U.S. faces larger trade deficits. As things stand right now, China, in particular, will endure a 34% tariff, which is in addition to the 20% tariffs imposed earlier this year. Other major U.S. trading partners, such as the European Union, Vietnam, and Japan, will also see tariffs of 20% or higher.