World Markets: U.S. Stocks Post Gains as Trade Develops

By mid-May 2025, the U.S. stock market has returned to a level of stability and a small amount of gains, after weeks of increasingly intense global trade negotiations and some large economic initiatives. Investors have been interested in current trade deals between the U.S. and other nations, AI-based technology deals as well as U.S. economic information.

The S&P 500 index rose by 0.10% to 5,892.58 during the period. This was driven by strong gains in technology stocks—namely Nvidia. The share price of Nvidia helped drive the index higher as the company closed a sizeable deal with a Saudi Arabian artificial intelligence firm. The Nasdaq Composite index also rose 0.72% to 19,146.81, reflecting growth in the technology and communications sectors.

But things were not quite good. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 0.21% to 42,051.06 points. It fell mainly because of falling health care stocks and investor jitters. The Russell 2000 index, tracking the performance of small and mid-cap stocks, fell by 0.9% to 2,083.80 points.

One of the most recent shows of confidence by investors is the 90-day Chinese-American trade truce. The truce has been a relief to the market, especially after months of uncertainty with regards to trade and tariffs. In addition, President Trump's pledge of $600 billion worth of investments on his visit to the Gulf nations and several international deals with regard to AI technology have also helped to fuel the development of the US technology industry.

According to analysts, however, if the economy continues at its current rate and does not go into recession S&P 500 index could rise by as much as 17% over the next year. But the US Federal Reserve policy and subsequent economic releases will be pivotal to investors' decisions.

Overall, US equities are a bit in balance today. The technology sector has grown steadily, and trade negotiations have provided some positives, indicating general positive momentum. However, there are areas that still lag.