Trade Concerns Halt Stock Rally

Stocks fell last week amid concerns about trade with China, following an unsteady rally to record highs over the first half of the week.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 2.43 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 2.53 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 2.73 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, slipped 1.64 percent.^1,2

Stocks Set Highs Before Friday’s Drop

Stocks began the week mostly positive. However, Monday marked Day 6 of the government shutdown, and two of the three major averages powered through any bearish sentiment. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq each advanced to record closes on fresh enthusiasm for mergers & acquisitions activity after the announcement of two deals. By contrast, the Dow fell slightly.^3,4

Stocks pushed higher midweek as investors looked past the Fed meeting minutes from September, which revealed somewhat divided opinions on interest rates. The S&P and Nasdaq both closed at record highs.⁴

On Friday, sentiment turned negative a little over an hour into the trading session after the White House announced a tariff increase on imported goods from China. The decline, led by chip manufacturers, erased the week's gains. It was the largest single-day decline for stocks since April.^5,6,7