From Yahoo Finance: 2025-04-17 10:05:00

U.S. stocks opened unevenly Thursday, with the S&P 500 up 0.2% and the Nasdaq gaining 0.13% after a 3% plunge the day before. The Dow dropped over 1% due to a 20% fall in UnitedHealth stock, which slashed its 2025 profit forecast and missed earnings expectations.

Nvidia continued to struggle, down over 1% after a $5.5 billion charge related to new chip export restrictions to China. The tech sector faces geopolitical fallout and regulatory uncertainty, with the Nasdaq down 15% year to date. The European Central Bank cut interest rates to 2.25% amid rising global trade tensions.

Earnings reports from UnitedHealth, Taiwan Semiconductor, Netflix, American Express, and D.R. Horton were released Thursday. The market is navigating a storm of geopolitical uncertainty, with major indexes posting steep declines in weeks. The drop came despite a stronger-than-expected March retail sales report and earnings beats from blue-chip names.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated the Fed’s mission and warned tariffs could affect inflation and growth. Speculation suggests the market selloff may be intentional to pressure the Fed to cut rates. Whether there is a coherent strategy behind the chaos remains uncertain, with mixed signals and shifting narratives at play.



Read more at Yahoo Finance: Stocks move in different directions as UnitedHealth drags down the Dow and tech tries to recover