PUT IN WORK (3/31/2025)

The stock market continued its downward push last week, with the Nasdaq (QQQ) and S&P 500 (SPY) ending down over a percent—2.5 % and 1.5%, respectively. Markets started strong on Monday, and that momentum continued into Tuesday. Come Wednesday, however, things started to look a little bleak.

Investors were bolstered on Monday as reports claiming that Trump’s tariffs could be softer than anticipated came in. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 jumped several percent on the news, and things were looking up after the prior week’s win. Tuesday marked the stock market’s third straight day of gains as investors remained hopeful that soon-to-be tariffs could be scaled back. Stocks such as Tesla (TSLA), Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), and Amazon (AMZN) all reacted positively, but come Wednesday, things changed.

It was announced that President Trump would announce automobile import tariffs after hours. Naturally, investors didn’t react positively to this information, with stocks sliding throughout the end of the day once again. Heavy-hitting stocks that helped fuel the 3-day rally slid lower, and while Thursday was a bit better, not much happened. The winning streak had ended, and investors were deciding what to do next, resulting in a flat day.

Things came to a head on Friday as inflation data came in even hotter than expected, sending the Nasdaq and S&P 500 down more than 2%. It was revealed that core inflation rose more than anticipated, up 2.8% in February from 2.7% in the previous month. Consumer sentiment data also came in much worse than expected, falling to a level it hasn’t seen since 2022. Ultimately, everything regarding President Trump’s tariffs has made investors highly uncertain, so the market continues to bleed cash. With more tariffs on the horizon, futures are currently down, and although we’re not entirely sure what we’re in for, we’re hopeful for the future.

(Nasdaq ETF (QQQ) price from March 2024 - 2025 — each candle is 1 week. Chart provided by tradingview.com.)

PORTFOLIO UPDATE

Considering our portfolio’s generally volatile nature, our stocks held up very nicely over this last week. Admittedly, even our stocks slid alongside the greater market, but not to any extra degree. Some of our stocks even stood their ground or inched higher amidst all the chaos and uncertainty. We plan to hold all currently owned stocks for the foreseeable future. As always, thank you for reading, and happy investing.