Wall Street: S&P 500 Rises for Fourth Day, Nasdaq Declines

The major indices closed with positive signs on Thursday (May 15, 2025), despite starting the day with a downward trend. The S&P 500 marked its fourth consecutive session of gains, adding to this week’s rally after the U.S. and China agreed to temporarily reduce tariffs. Bond yields also declined, providing tailwinds to Wall Street stocks. The S&P 500 rose by 0.41%, closing at 5,916.93 points, while the industrial Dow Jones added 271.69 points or 0.65%, closing at 42,322.75 points. Conversely, the Nasdaq fell by 0.18%, settling at 19,112.32 points. Confidence in near-term prospects for stocks was bolstered following last weekend’s talks between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese officials, which seemed to prevent a short-term economic slowdown and inflation rise. Tech giants have shown strong performances this week. Nvidia and Tesla each gained about 15%, while Meta Platforms added nearly 9% during this period. Amazon and Alphabet increased by more than 6% and 7%, respectively. The Nasdaq Composite is up 6.6% this week, followed by the S&P 500 at 4.5%, and the Dow strengthening by 2.6%. Foot Locker shares surged nearly 86% against $2.4 billion. UnitedHealth dropped almost 11% following a Wall Street Journal report citing insiders that the Justice Department is investigating the insurer. A UnitedHealth representative later told CNBC that the insurer has not been informed by the Justice Department about the alleged investigation mentioned.