Wall Street struggles as continued uncertainty grips markets

U.S. stock markets on the defensive Thursday

Lola Evans
21 Mar 2025, 01:37 GMT+10

Wall Street struggles as continued uncertainty grips markets

U.S. stocks were on the defensive Thursday as investors and traders weighed the Fed's policy decision of a day earlier.
The global foreign exchange markets exhibited a major rebound by the U.S. dollar on Thursday.
The FTSE 100 in London experienced a slight decline of 4.67 points, or 0.05 percent, closing at 8,701.99.

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were on the defensive Thursday as investors and traders weighed the Fed's policy decision of a day earlier, a new payrolls report, and general uncertainty about what lies ahead, in particular whether a recession is on the horizon.

"Bull markets don't die of old age. They die of fright, and what they're most afraid of is recession," Sam Stovall, CFRA Research's chief investment strategist told CNBC Thursday. "We're not heading into a recession, but we still really don't know, because of the tariffs, what exactly will happen," he said.

Following are Thursday's closing quotes for the major U.S. stock indices:

S&P 500 (^GSPC): The S&P 500 index decreased by 12.41 points, or 0.22 percent, closing at 5,662.88.
Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI): The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down by 11.43 points, or 0.03 percent, ending at 41,953.20.
NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC): The NASDAQ Composite fell by 59.16 points, or 0.33 percent, to settle at 17,691.63.
Market Influences:

The day's stock market trading was influenced by several factors:

Federal Reserve's Interest Rate Decision: The Federal Reserve's recent decision to maintain interest rates and signal two rate cuts later this year impacted investor sentiment.
Global Trade Tensions: Ongoing trade disputes, particularly between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, have contributed to market volatility.
Economic Data Releases: Mixed economic data, including weaker-than-expected reports, led to slight decreases in Treasury yields, affecting equity markets.

Global Foreign Exchange Market Overview | U.S. Dollar Roars Back to Life

The global foreign exchange markets exhibited a major rebound by the U.S. dollar on Thursday, influenced by central bank policies, economic indicators, and geopolitical developments.

Major Currency Pairs:

EUR/USD (Euro/US Dollar): The euro weakened against the U.S. dollar, declining by 0.45 percent to close at 1.0852.
USD/JPY (US Dollar/Japanese Yen): The dollar experienced a modest increase of 0.07 percent against the Japanese yen, ending at 148.78.
USD/CAD (US Dollar/Canadian Dollar): Going against the trend, the U.S. dollar edged down by 0.07 percent versus the Canadian dollar, closing at 1.4314.
GBP/USD (British Pound/US Dollar): The British pound declined by 0.30 percent, last trading at 1.2963.
USD/CHF (US Dollar/Swiss Franc): The U.S. dollar strengthened against the Swiss franc, rising by 0.52 percent to 0.8818.
AUD/USD (Australian Dollar/US Dollar): The Australian dollar fell by 0.81 percent, dropping to 0.6304.
NZD/USD (New Zealand Dollar/US Dollar): The New Zealand dollar decreased by 0.92 percent versus the U.S. dollar, to last trade at at 0.5761.

Market Influences:

The currency market movements were influenced by several factors:

Central Bank Policies: The Federal Reserve's recent decision to maintain interest rates and signal two rate cuts later this year impacted currency valuations.
Geopolitical Developments: Ongoing trade tensions, particularly between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, have contributed to market volatility, together with the on-again, off-again ceasefires in Ukraine and Gaza.

Global Stock Markets End Mixed Wednesday Amid Central Bank Decisions and Economic Data

Global stock markets exhibited varied performances on Thursday, influenced by central bank policies, economic indicators, and investor sentiment.

Canada

S&P/TSX Composite Index (^GSPTSE): Canada's S&P/TSX Composite Index declined by 8.97 points, or 0.04 percent, closing at 25,060.24.

UK and European Markets

FTSE 100 (UK): The index experienced a slight decline of 4.67 points, or 0.05 percent, closing at 8,701.99.
DAX (Germany): Germany's DAX index fell by 288.91 points, or 1.24 percent, ending at 22,999.15.
CAC 40 (France): The French CAC 40 decreased by 77.27 points, or 0.95 percent, to close at 8,094.20.
EURO STOXX 50: This pan-European index declined by 56.43 points, or 1.02 percent, finishing at 5,450.93.
Euronext 100: The index saw a reduction of 15.12 points, or 0.94 percent, closing at 1,601.94.
BEL 20 (Belgium): Belgium's BEL 20 index decreased by 11.59 points, or 0.26 percent, ending at 4,487.84.

Asian and Oceania Markets

Hang Seng Index (Hong Kong): The Hang Seng dropped significantly by 551.19 points, or 2.23 percent, closing at 24,219.95.
STI Index (Singapore): Singapore's STI Index rose by 22.18 points, or 0.57 percent, to finish at 3,930.49
SSE Composite Index: The Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index fell by 17.48 points, or 0.51 percent, closing at 3,408.95.
S&P/ASX 200 (Australia): Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced by 90.60 points, or 1.16 percent, closing at 7,918.90.
All Ordinaries (Australia): The All Ordinaries index also increased by 93.60 points, or 1.16 percent, ending at 8,148.90.
S&P BSE SENSEX (India): India's SENSEX climbed by 899.02 points, or 1.19 percent, closing at 76,348.06.
FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI: The Malaysian index decreased by 13.50 points, or 0.89 percent, to 1,504.16.
S&P/NZX 50 Index Gross (New Zealand): New Zealand's index saw a modest rise of 8.79 points, or 0.07 percent, closing at 12,054.72.
KOSPI Composite Index (South Korea): The KOSPI increased by 8.48 points, or 0.32 percent, ending at 2,637.10.
TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index (Taiwan): Taiwan's index surged by 416.43 points, or 1.90 percent, to close at 22,377.26.
Nikkei 225 (Japan): Japan's Nikkei 225 saw a slight decline of 93.54 points, or 0.25 percent, finishing at 37,751.88.

Middle East and Africa

TA-125 (Israel): The TA-125 index decreased by 9.19 points, or 0.36 percent, closing at 2,531.37.
EGX 30 Price Return Index (Egypt): Egypt's EGX 30 rose by 329.10 points, or 1.05 percent, ending at 31,677.60.
Top 40 USD Net TRI Index (South Africa): The South African index declined by 40.02 points, or 0.82 percent, to 4,864.03.