Stock Market Today: Stocks end slightly higher amid tariff uncertainty
The S&P 500 is now up 4% from its March 13 low, but sits 6% south of its February 19 peak.
Stocks finished slightly higher Tuesday while investors remain cautious about the impact of pending tariffs heading into next week's deadline.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged higher by 4.18 points, or 0.01%, to finish the session at 42,587.50, while the S&P 500 gained 0.16% to close at 5,776.65, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq advanced 0.46% and ended the day at 18,271.86.
Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank, said consumers are spooked by headlines about higher tariffs and trade war, DOGE cuts, and the stock market selloff.
“When people fear for their jobs, they will cut back on discretionary spending on vacations and going out, and delay big purchases like new houses, cars, or appliances,” Adams said. “Discretionary consumer spending is likely to weaken near-term.”
Updated at 10:15 AM EDT
Four month streak
The Conference Board's consumer confidence reading fell for a fourth consecutive month in March, fell 5.4 points to a headline reading of 92.9, well shy of Wall Street's 94.0 point forecast.
“Likely in response to recent market volatility, consumers turned negative about the stock market for the first time since the end of 2023," said the CB's senior economist Stephanie Guichard. "In March, only 37.4% expected stock prices to rise over the year ahead—down nearly 10 percentage points from February and 20 percentage points from the high reached in November 2024. On the flip side, 44.5% expected stock prices to decline."
US March Consumer Confidence drops to a 92.9 (est. 94), the lowest level since the pandemic period in 2020-21. Expectations drops to a 12-year low at 65.2
Chart: Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/fKrYyW2nX7— Ole S Hansen (@Ole_S_Hansen) March 25, 2025
Updated at 9:39 AM EDT
Muted open
The S&P 500 was marked 3 points, or 0.05% higher in the opening minutes of trading, with the Nasdaq rising 5 points, or 0.02%
The Dow gained 40 while the mid-cap Russell 2000 slipped 2 points, or 0.02%.
S&P 500 Opening Bell Heatmap (Mar. 25, 2025)$SPY +0.22%
