The New York stock market continued its upward momentum on April 25, marking a fourth consecutive day of gains.
All three major indices recorded substantial weekly gains, with the Nasdaq rising 6.7% over the week.
Tesla jumped 10% amid news of easing self-driving regulations, while Nvidia soared over 4% following Alphabet’s strong earnings report, which confirmed robust demand for AI semiconductors.
Four-day Rally
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, comprising 30 blue-chip stocks, closed slightly higher after fluctuating throughout the day. The Dow edged up 20.10 points (0.05%) to 40,113.50. The S&P 500 gained 40.44 points (0.74%) to finish at 5,525.21, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq surged 216.90 points (1.26%) to 17,382.94.
For the week, the Dow climbed 2.48%, the S&P 500 rose 4.59%, and the Nasdaq soared 6.73%.
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), Wall Street’s fear gauge, plummeted 1.63 points (6.16%) to 24.84, dropping over 16% for the week and signaling a significant reduction in investor anxiety.
The market’s rebound comes after a sharp drop on April 21, triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell during the Easter holiday. By week’s end, investor sentiment had stabilized, paving the way for a market recovery.
Tesla and Nvidia Lead the Charge
Tesla and Nvidia were the standout performers, driving the market’s upward trend.
Tesla shares skyrocketed following announcements from the U.S. Department of Transportation and California’s DMV regarding plans to ease self-driving regulations.
Expectations that autonomous driving technology and robotaxis could become Tesla’s next major growth driver helped fuel the rally.
Tesla plans to launch a robotaxi pilot program in Austin, Texas, this June and begin mass production of its Cybercab robotaxi next year.
Tesla’s stock surged 25.44 USD (9.80%) to 284.95 USD, marking an impressive 18% weekly gain.
Nvidia also saw a significant uptick, rising over 4% following reports of China canceling semiconductor tariffs on the U.S. and Alphabet’s strong quarterly results.
Alphabet’s earnings report highlighted robust investment in AI data centers.
Nvidia closed at 111.01 USD, up 4.58 USD (4.30%), with a weekly gain of 9.38%.
Apple, after a brief dip, closed higher at 209.28 USD, up 0.91 USD (0.44%).
Like Tesla and Nvidia, Apple continued its winning streak, posting a 6.24% weekly gain.
Cautionary Notes
Despite the market’s recovery, some experts remain cautious.
Bank of America’s Chief Investment Strategist Michael Hartnett warned investors not to be misled by this week’s rebound.
Hartnett cautioned that uncertainties surrounding Trump’s trade and tariff policies could continue to impact the market negatively.
He advised investors to consider buying foreign stocks, gold, and government bonds at low prices while selling U.S. stocks and the dollar in the first half of the year.
