Market Recap (3/23/25)
Market Recap of the Week of Mar 17, 2025 - Mar 21, 2025
Source: Apple Stocks Application
Overall Market Trends:
Stocks etched out small gains last week, ending their losing streaks. The New York Stock Exchange Composite (NYSE) rose 220 points (+1.14%), the S&P 500 climbed 31 points (+0.54%), the NASDAQ Composite inched up 37 points (+0.21%), and the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted weekly gains of 513 points (+1.24%). These results were largely influenced by economic policy, including tariffs, interest rates, and inflation.
Stocks rose on Monday as a positive February retail sales report boosted sentiment. The report showed that retail sales increased by 0.2% in February, far below the 0.6% estimate.
Stocks pulled back on Tuesday, however, continuing its recent sell-off. Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) fell over 5% after the company saw its price-target decrease by RBC Capital Markets. Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR) and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) also fell over 3% on the day.
Stocks rallied during Wednesday’s trading session after the Federal Reserve’s most recent policy decision. While they decided to hold rates steady, the Fed’s forecast for the remainder of the year featured 2 rate cuts, despite the recent economic turmoil amidst the uncertainty regarding President Trump’s constant tariff levies. Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted that the economy was still strong and any changes in trade policies would only affect the economy in the short term.
Stocks fell on Thursday due to uncertainty in the market. Investors believe that the Federal Reserve will not make any changes to their policy until they have a better sense of Trump’s tariff plans. In other news, Accenture (NYSE: ACN) plummeted 7% after the consulting firm announced that its financial services department had lost contracts with the Federal Government due to the Trump administration’s plan to cut spending.
The market rose slightly on Friday, with all four major indices finishing the week in the green. President Trump announced that there would be some flexibility regarding certain tariffs set to come into place, but added that he has every intent in carrying through with the recipricol tariffs set to be implemented on April 2.
Past Earnings Report:
Looking Towards the Future
Upcoming Important Economic Events:
Monday: S&P flash U.S. services PMI; S&P flash U.S. manufacturing PMI; Fed Governor Michael Barr speaks
Tuesday: Fed Governor Adriana Kugler speaks; Consumer confidence
Wednesday: Durable-goods orders
Thursday: Initial jobless claims; GDP (second revision)
Friday: Personal Consumption Expenditures Index (PCE); Core PCE; Consumer sentiment (final); Fed Governor Michael Barr speaks
Future Earnings Reports: