Weekly Market Commentary April 14, 2025

Market indexes continued to experience significant volatility as investors adjusted their future expectations in response to increasing global trade tensions.

• The S&P 500 rose by 5.70%

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 4.95%

• The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose by 7.43%

• The 10-Year Treasury yield closed at 4.49%

Last week was filled with significant economic releases that provided a comprehensive view of the current economic landscape. On Monday, the change in the total value of outstanding consumer credit from the previous month increased by $81 million, indicating a bearish economy. On Tuesday, the American Petroleum Institute reported that U.S. crude oil inventories fell by 1.057 million barrels for the week ending April 4, after a 6.037 million barrel spike the previous week.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes were published on Wednesday, offering a detailed account of the discussions and decisions made during the latest policy meeting. On Thursday, the initial jobless claims and Core Consumer Price Index (CPI) data were released. The Core CPI for March rose 2.8% on an annual basis, lower than the forecasted 3% change. Additionally, the labor market showed signs of cooling with continuing jobless claims coming in below forecast at 1,850 claims and initial jobless claims coming in as anticipated with 223,000 claims for the week.

Finally, on Friday, the Core Producer Price Index (PPI) and Michigan Consumer Expectations were released. The Core PPI for the month of March fell by 0.1%, indicating a potential decrease in the price of goods and services. Furthermore, consumer sentiment fell sharply in April, marking the fourth consecutive month of declines, with the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index dropping to 50.8.

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