BUSINESS

Stock Market Rollercoaster: Trump's Words and Trade Deals

New York, USAFri Apr 18 2025
The stock market had a wild ride on Thursday. It all started with a tweet from President Trump. He was upset with the Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell. Trump thought Powell was moving too slowly on interest rates. This news shook the market in the morning. But things changed in the afternoon. Trump talked about trade deals with Europe and China. He said there would definitely be a deal with the EU. He also mentioned a good deal with China. This news boosted the market. Investors have been watching trade talks closely. There's been a 90-day pause on most tariffs. Everyone wants to know what's next. Trump said he's not worried about allies turning to China. He believes the US is too strong to compete with. But the market didn't fully agree. The Dow fell by 527 points, or 1. 33%. The S&P 500 had a small gain of 0. 13%. The Nasdaq fell by 0. 13%. All three indexes had losses for the week. The market was also affected by other news. UnitedHealth Group cut its profit forecast. This dragged the Dow down even more. The company has a big influence on the index. The market was also reacting to earnings results. Companies said uncertainty makes planning hard. United Airlines even gave two different forecasts. One for a recession and one for a stable economy. The International Monetary Fund will release a report next week. It's expected to show lower economic growth forecasts. The IMF's managing director said there's a lot of uncertainty in trade policy. This uncertainty is affecting the market. It's making investors nervous. They don't know what to expect. This is why the market is so volatile. There was also news about tech companies. Alphabet, Google's parent company, fell by 1. 38%. A judge ruled that Google has too much power in web advertising. Nvidia and AMD also had bad news. The US government put restrictions on their chip sales to China. This affected their stock prices. Analysts say tech companies could be used as leverage in trade talks. This is why some are staying away from Big Tech. The market had a moment of calm overnight. Trump posted about a meeting with the Japanese delegation. He said there was big progress. He also talked about a call with Mexico's president. The 10-year Treasury yield rose. The US dollar was relatively unchanged. The European Central Bank cut its main interest rate. This is because Trump's tariffs could affect Europe's economy. Oil prices rose due to sanctions on Iranian oil and talk of a trade deal with the EU.

questions

    What are the potential long-term effects of Trump's trade policies on the US economy?
    Is there a hidden agenda behind Trump's push for lower interest rates?
    Imagine if the Fed started issuing memes instead of economic reports, would the market be more stable?

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