Wall Street Tumbles, Dollar Crashes, Gold Hits Record Highs As Inflation Cools More Than Predicted: What's Driving Markets Thursday

Comments
Loading...
Zinger Key Points

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.

Read Also: Inflation Cools, But ‘Too Soon To Blow The All Clear,’ Economist Says

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 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.

Thursday’s Performance In Major Indices, ETFs

Major IndicesPriceChg
Dow Jones38,976.38-4.0%
S&P 5005,193.60-4.8%
Russell 20001,810.18-5.3%
Nasdaq 10018,119.84-5.4%
Updated by 12:05 p.m. ET

According to Benzinga Pro data:

  • The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY fell 5.2% to $517.46.
  • The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average DIA fell 4% to $389.66.
  • The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series QQQ sunk 5.5% to $440.99.
  • The iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM tumbled 5.3% to $179.66.
  • S&P 500 sectors with largest drops were Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund XLE, down 6.7%; Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund XLK, down 6% and Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund XLY, down 5.8%.

Thursday’s Stocks Movers

  • There were only 22 gainers within the S&P 500, with Newmont Corp. NEM rallying 3.3%, amid rising gold prices.
  • Major losers included CarMax Inc. KMX down 20%, Microchip Technology Inc. MCHP, down 14%, and Celanese Corp. CE, down 14%.
  • Magnificent Seven were all trading deeply in negative territory, with the group shedding nearly a trillion of combined market value.

Top U.S. Tech Stocks by Market Cap Loss – April 10, 2025

  • NVIDIA Corporation NVDA
    Market Cap Loss: $209.24 billion
    Daily Change: -7.50%
  • Apple Inc. AAPL
    Market Cap Loss: $181.32 billion
    Daily Change: -6.07%
  • Amazon.com Inc. AMZN
    Market Cap Loss: $129.62 billion
    Daily Change: -6.40%
  • Microsoft Corporation MSFT
    Market Cap Loss: $124.82 billion
    Daily Change: -4.30%
  • Meta Platforms Inc. META
    Market Cap Loss: $102.56 billion
    Daily Change: -6.91%
  • Tesla Inc. TSLA
    Market Cap Loss: $87.47 billion
    Daily Change: -9.99%
  • Alphabet Inc. GOOG
    Market Cap Loss: $79.85 billion
    Daily Change: -4.10%

Read Now:

Photo: Shutterstock Professional via Shutterstock

Got Questions? Ask
Which sectors may rebound after the dip?
How will gold prices continue to trend?
Which tech stocks are now undervalued?
Could bond yields impact real estate investments?
How will tariff changes affect import-heavy companies?
Is there potential for small-cap stocks post-correction?
Which consumer sectors might benefit from tax cuts?
How might energy stocks recover from losses?
Are international markets poised for gains from U.S. instability?
What investment strategies work best during inflationary periods?
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Posted In: