The S&P 500 rose slightly on Wednesday, ending a four-day losing streak. The index gained 0.01% to close at 5,956.06. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 188.04 points, or 0.43%, to end at 43,433.12.
Piyush Goyal on stock market crash, valuation: ‘Some of Nifty stocks may…wake up call…’https://t.co/1WAC9opsVM
— ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) March 2, 2025
The Nasdaq Composite increased 0.26% to finish at 19,075.26. Stocks pulled back from their highs as concerns about President Trump’s trade policy grew. During his first cabinet meeting, Trump said tariffs on Canada and Mexico will go into effect.
Stock market prediction for 3 March, next week: 'Strong possibility of…' – Support and resistance levelshttps://t.co/mUdse5fiOu
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He also said he would soon put 25% tariffs on goods from the European Union.
Today's selloff pushed the S&P 500 into negative year-to-date territory, joining the Nasdaq.#markets pic.twitter.com/bYS8ctApe0
— Mohamed A. El-Erian (@elerianm) February 27, 2025
Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, said, “Policy uncertainty has certainly filtered its way into a lot of the soft data. That’s why you’re seeing things like buying intentions for big-ticket items, capex intentions, and spending plans really pull down.”
Investors are also waiting for Nvidia’s fourth-quarter earnings report.
Friday has been historically bad so far in '25, so a big day was bound to happen eventually.
Today's 1.59% jump for the S&P 500 was the best Friday since May 2023 and the best Friday in February since 2022.
— Ryan Detrick, CMT (@RyanDetrick) February 28, 2025
The company’s performance is important for the tech sector and the broader market. Nvidia shares are down 2% in 2025. SWBC Chief Investment Officer Chris Brigati said, “Nvidia is the bellwether and market-darling stock that is of vital importance to the broader markets.
Its performance provides meaningful guidance for the broader market tone. The importance for the tech sector cannot be understated.”
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both fell for the fourth straight day on Tuesday. Recent reports, such as weak retail sales and consumer sentiment numbers, have raised concerns about the economy.
The S&P 500 is down nearly 1% for the week, while the Nasdaq has fallen 2.3%. The Dow is close to flat for the week.
Market concerns impact stock performance
Target shares are under pressure before the company’s investor day. Analysts have pointed out that the stock is trading at a discount compared to other retailers. JPMorgan analyst Christopher Horvers expects Target to earn $2.40 per share in the fourth quarter.
He also thinks the company’s same-store sales forecast for the fiscal year will be flat to up 2%. Real estate is the best-performing sector this week, up 1.2%. Health care is the next best, with gains of 1%.
Information technology is lagging the broader market, down 2.2% for the week. Instacart shares fell more than 12% in afternoon trading after the company missed fourth-quarter revenue estimates and gave a weaker-than-expected forecast for the first quarter. The drop puts the stock on track for its biggest one-day percentage decline ever.
Tesla shares continued to fall on Wednesday, down an additional 2.2%. The electric vehicle maker has dropped more than 12% this week. If the losses hold, Tesla shares will close below $300 for the first time since November 2024.
Consumer staples were the worst-performing S&P 500 sector on Wednesday, giving back some of their recent gains. The sector had risen in the previous six trading sessions and was up nearly 7% for the month before Wednesday’s decline. Several stocks made big moves in midday trading, including AppLovin and Flywire.
AppLovin, a mobile software stock, fell 10% after short sellers released reports. Flywire, a global payments company, also saw significant movement.
