Stock market today: S&P 500 marks best May in 30 years as Wall Street bets on tariff relief
US stocks rebounded from early losses Friday, capping off a volatile but strong month. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) logged its best May since 1990 and its best month since Nov. 2023, rising over 6%, while the Dow…
From the USA News Group archive. This article dates from May 31, 2025 and is preserved as first published.
US stocks rebounded from early losses Friday, capping off a volatile but strong month. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) logged its best May since 1990 and its best month since Nov. 2023, rising over 6%, while the Dow (^DJI) added 4% over the month and the Nasdaq (^IXIC) surged nearly 10%, thanks to tech sector strength.
On the day, the Nasdaq dipped 0.3%, having recovered from a drop of more than 1.6% earlier in the session. The S&P 500 hovered near the flat line while the Dow edged up 0.1%.
Markets navigated a mix of tariff uncertainty and signs of cooling inflation from the Fed’s preferred price gauge. Despite trade-related turbulence, all three major indices finished both the week and the month in the green.
Markets navigated a mix of tariff uncertainty and signs of cooling inflation from the Fed’s preferred price gauge.
Bloomberg reported on Friday that the Trump administration plans to expand tech restrictions on China to close loopholes used to circumvent existing curbs by targeting subsidiaries of already-sanctioned firms. The proposed rule would require US government licenses for transactions involving companies that are majority-owned by firms on the so-called Entity List.
The Bloomberg report comes on the heels of earlier comments from President Trump, who lashed out at China in a Truth Social post, accusing the country of having “violated” its trade deal with the US less than three weeks after the world’s two largest economies reached a tariff detente.
Trade talks between the US and China are “a bit stalled,” Scott Bessent told Fox News on Thursday. The Treasury Secretary said a call between Trump and President Xi is needed to reach a deal, as the two countries continue to clash over chip curbs and visas on the sidelines.
The China escalations came after the tariffs faced a bout of legal drama — a new source of uncertainty.
On Thursday, a US appeals court paused a trade court block on Trump’s global tariffs, giving the White House until next Monday to file a challenge to the ruling. At the same time, his team is exploring other ways to issue the tariffs.
Meanwhile, inflation continued cooling in April, according to the latest reading of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index. The “core” PCE index, closely watched by the Fed, rose in line with expectations on a monthly and annual basis.
