US Stocks Plunge Amid Recession Fears
Stocks plunged Monday to a six-month low amid ongoing uncertainty about the impact of policies coming from the Trump White House and concerns about the outlook for the U.S. economy.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped 4%, its biggest one-day loss since September 2022, while the S&P 500 shed 2.7%, as both indexes closed at their lowest levels since last September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.1%, equivalent to a near-900 point decline. Stocks were coming off of gains on Friday, though they still posted steep losses for the week.
Major indexes have returned to pre-election levels as investor sentiment has been dented recently by worries about President Trump’s plans for widespread tariffs and the retaliatory measures that other countries have announced. Experts say the tariffs will spark inflation, slow economic activity and harm companies that do business around the world.
Comments over the weekend from Trump that indicate his administration has a high tolerance for short-term economic disruptions and market volatility added to investor concerns. In an interview with Fox Business, Trump didn’t dismiss the possibility of a recession, saying that there will be a “period of transition”. When asked about the market’s negative response to tariffs, he said: “What I have to do is build a strong country. You can’t really watch the stock market.”
The yield on 10-year Treasurys, which has fallen significantly in recent weeks as the concerns about the economy have grown, fell to 4.22% today from 4.32% at Friday’s close. The yield, which affects borrowing costs on all sorts of loans, notably mortgages, fell as low as 4.11% last week, its lowest level since last October.
