Stock Market Tumble

Scarlett Shin '27

On April 2, 2025, the stock market tumbled due to uncertainty about President Trump’s new tariffs. S&P 500 valued the market at 5,670.97 points on April 2 and 6 days later on the 8th, the index was at 4,982.77. This was S&P’s worst quarterly performance in two years as investors started selling their shares as a reaction to the new tariffs.

The stock market is heavily influenced by human emotion. Uncertainty about how the new tariffs will affect the market caused many people to sell their stock instead of holding on to it. Everyone selling instead of buying causes a drop in the stock market. In the instance this past April, everyone sold their shares resulting in the stock market plummeting.

Multiple companies experienced a decline, especially technology companies such as Tesla which had a 43% decline, and Apple which saw a 27% drop. The tariffs that sparked this uncertainty were a 145% duty on all goods from China, 25% tariffs on aluminum and auto goods from Canada and Mexico, and finally a 10% levy on all imports.

However, since then, the market has healed itself and is steadily increasing. Currently, the S&P tracks the market high this month at 5,958,38 points. However, the market is always fluctuating. The brief crisis in April is one among many tumbles the stock market has and will experience.