After a spectacular risk-on rally on Wednesday, Wall Street sharply pulled back during Thursday's trading, as investors digested the 90-day tariff pause and weighed lingering economic risks to the outlook.
Even a sharply lower-than-expected inflation report did little to support risk sentiment — a testament to how susceptible investors remain to economic uncertainty.
The Consumer Price Index fell from 2.8% year-over-year in February to 2.4% in March, below expectations of 2.6% and marking the lowest reading since September 2024. On a monthly basis, inflation was negative by 0.1% — the first decline since May 2020.
While the data bolstered the case for near-term Fed rate cuts — markets are pricing in an 88% chance of a 0.25% move by June — traders remained cautious amid the ongoing tariff drama.
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The S&P 500 dropped 4.8% by midday in New York, erasing about half of Wednesday's historic gains, which had marked the index’s strongest rally since 2008. The Nasdaq 100 tumbled 5.4%, while small caps in the Russell 2000 sank 5.3%.
Despite the pullback in equities, traditional safe havens like Treasuries and the dollar also fell, raising concerns about waning international confidence in U.S. assets.
The U.S. dollar index — as tracked by the Invesco DB USD Index Bullish Fund ETF (NYSE:UUP) — nosedived 2% to the 101 level, its lowest since late September 2024.
Yields on 30-year Treasuries surged by 11 basis points to 4.85%, as bond vigilantes appeared to reassert themselves —effectively flashing red signals in Washington.
Meanwhile, gold continued to deliver stellar returns, with bullion hitting fresh record highs of $3,175 per ounce, up 2.4% on the day. Over the past two sessions, gold has rallied nearly 6%, the biggest two-day gain since March 2020.
On Thursday, the White House announced that the actual tariff rate on Chinese imports will be 145%. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget plan extending the Trump-era tax cuts. Trump welcomed the news, saying it laid the groundwork for what he called "the largest tax and regulation cuts” in American history.
Major Indices | Price | Chg | |
Dow Jones | 38,976.38 | -4.0% | |
S&P 500 | 5,193.60 | -4.8% | |
Russell 2000 | 1,810.18 | -5.3% | |
Nasdaq 100 | 18,119.84 | -5.4% |
According to Benzinga Pro data:
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