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Wall Street was in the green last week.Despite the tariff-led volatility, the S&P 500 and Dow posted their best weekly performances since 2023, while the Nasdaq’s 7% weekly surge marked its strongest since 2022, as quoted on Yahoo Finance.
For the week, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY - Free Report) tacked in 9.1% gains, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA - Free Report) jumped 8.2% andthe Nasdaq-100-based ETFInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ - Free Report) advanced 11.4%.
Amid a week full of tariff-related developments, we highlight the top financial stories and their impact on the exchange-traded fund (ETF) world.
Inside Tariff Developments
Markets experienced wild swings throughout the week, largely driven by President Trump’s rapidly shifting tariff policy. On April 9, markets saw historic gains after Trump announced a temporary 90-day pause on tariffs for around 75 countries, even as tariffs on Chinese goods were hiked to 145% (read: Semiconductors Leading Nasdaq's Bounce-Back: ETFs in Focus).
But markets tumbled on April 10, only to rebound on April 11. On April 11, China announced it would raise tariffs on US imports to 125%, up from the previously planned 84%, effective Saturday (read: US-Sino Trade War Escalates: ETF Areas Under Pressure).
Treasury Yields Spike, Dollar Slides
Investor concerns over the U.S. economic stability and the effectiveness of traditional safe-haven assets led to major shifts in the bond and commodities markets. U.S. treasuries and the U.S. dollar could not live up to their traditional safe-haven status, continuing sell-offs.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yields surged to 4.56%, their highest since February, amid a bond sell-off. Fears of China selling U.S. Treasurys, inflation risks, a less-dovish Fed, and the unwinding of the basis trade hit the US treasury market. iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT - Free Report) retreated 5.4% last week.
The US Dollar Index lost 3.1% last week, signaling weaker confidence in US assets. Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (UUP - Free Report) was off 2.8%.
Gold Hits Record
Meanwhile, Gold surged past $3,200 per ounce, setting a new all-time high thanks to the safe-haven demand and a falling greenback. Gold recorded its best five-day run since 2020. VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX - Free Report) surged 22.4% last week.
Weakening Consumer Sentiment
Consumer sentiment fell to its lowest point since 2022 in April, due to fears of rising inflation amid tariff developments. Many consumers now expect inflation to climb significantly in the year ahead. Despite this, iShares US Consumer Discretionary ETF (IYC - Free Report) added 6.4% last week.
Fed Signals Willingness to Intervene if Needed
Boston Fed President Susan Collins stated on April 11 that the Federal Reserve is prepared to act if market conditions deteriorate. She emphasized that the Fed has acted quickly in the past and would do so again to ensure market stability. This could be good news for growth ETFs like the Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF (VUG - Free Report) , as growth stocks tend to thrive in a low-rate environment. The ETF VUG was up 12.2% last week.
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Top ETF Stories of Last Week
Wall Street was in the green last week.Despite the tariff-led volatility, the S&P 500 and Dow posted their best weekly performances since 2023, while the Nasdaq’s 7% weekly surge marked its strongest since 2022, as quoted on Yahoo Finance.
For the week, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY - Free Report) tacked in 9.1% gains, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA - Free Report) jumped 8.2% andthe Nasdaq-100-based ETFInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ - Free Report) advanced 11.4%.
Amid a week full of tariff-related developments, we highlight the top financial stories and their impact on the exchange-traded fund (ETF) world.
Inside Tariff Developments
Markets experienced wild swings throughout the week, largely driven by President Trump’s rapidly shifting tariff policy. On April 9, markets saw historic gains after Trump announced a temporary 90-day pause on tariffs for around 75 countries, even as tariffs on Chinese goods were hiked to 145% (read: Semiconductors Leading Nasdaq's Bounce-Back: ETFs in Focus).
But markets tumbled on April 10, only to rebound on April 11. On April 11, China announced it would raise tariffs on US imports to 125%, up from the previously planned 84%, effective Saturday (read: US-Sino Trade War Escalates: ETF Areas Under Pressure).
Treasury Yields Spike, Dollar Slides
Investor concerns over the U.S. economic stability and the effectiveness of traditional safe-haven assets led to major shifts in the bond and commodities markets. U.S. treasuries and the U.S. dollar could not live up to their traditional safe-haven status, continuing sell-offs.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yields surged to 4.56%, their highest since February, amid a bond sell-off. Fears of China selling U.S. Treasurys, inflation risks, a less-dovish Fed, and the unwinding of the basis trade hit the US treasury market. iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT - Free Report) retreated 5.4% last week.
The US Dollar Index lost 3.1% last week, signaling weaker confidence in US assets. Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (UUP - Free Report) was off 2.8%.
Gold Hits Record
Meanwhile, Gold surged past $3,200 per ounce, setting a new all-time high thanks to the safe-haven demand and a falling greenback. Gold recorded its best five-day run since 2020. VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX - Free Report) surged 22.4% last week.
Weakening Consumer Sentiment
Consumer sentiment fell to its lowest point since 2022 in April, due to fears of rising inflation amid tariff developments. Many consumers now expect inflation to climb significantly in the year ahead. Despite this, iShares US Consumer Discretionary ETF (IYC - Free Report) added 6.4% last week.
Fed Signals Willingness to Intervene if Needed
Boston Fed President Susan Collins stated on April 11 that the Federal Reserve is prepared to act if market conditions deteriorate. She emphasized that the Fed has acted quickly in the past and would do so again to ensure market stability. This could be good news for growth ETFs like the Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF (VUG - Free Report) , as growth stocks tend to thrive in a low-rate environment. The ETF VUG was up 12.2% last week.