The main Wall Street indices finished the session on Friday May 2, 2025 on the rise, the S&P 500 extending its positive sequence at its highest level in almost 20 years. The feeling of investment was stimulated by better than expected American employment data – although slightly lower than those in March – for April, which appeared concerns about a possible recession of the American economy.
In particular, the Industrial Dow Jones increased by 1.39 %, or approximately 564 points, to 41,317.43 points, the S&P 500 in the broad sense added 1.47 % to 5,686.67 points and the NASDAQ, weighted by technology, increased by 1.51 % to 17,977.73 points.
In individual actions, Apple shares fell 3.74 %, the technological giant who announced results slightly superior to Wall Street expectations on Thursday, consumers having bought iPhones for fear of possible import taxes on the device bearing the signature of President Donald Trump.
The three main indices in great shape
Amazon.com has recorded small losses of 0.12 % despite the announcement of better than expected results for the first quarter of 2025, a reassuring sign that the electronic commerce giant will have to face uncertainty linked to customs tariffs. However, the development of this closely monitored cloud unit has been late.
During the week, the three main indices recorded their second consecutive week of profits. The S&P 500 won 2.9 %, the Dow Jones closed up 3 %and the NASDAQ increased by 3.4 %.
177,000 jobs created
In terms of day macroeconomics, the American labor market ended April with 177,000 additional non -agricultural jobs, far exceeding the average pessimistic estimate of analysts of 133,000. However, the figure is slightly lower than that of March, which was revised at 185,000 additional wages while 228,000 had been initially announced.
Be that as it may, the dynamics of the labor market in the largest economy in the world has remained strong enough, because it is necessary to create around 100,000 jobs each month to compensate for the aging of the workforce.
In this context, the unemployment rate in the United States remained at 4.2 %, confirming the average forecast of analysts.
-In the various components of the measure, the health sector was the main engine of job creation, with 51,000 additional jobs. Transport and storage have created 29,000 additional jobs and financial activities 14,000.
The federal government has also created 9,000 jobs, despite the efforts of Elon Musk, responsible for government efficiency, to reduce public sector wages.
Trump attacks the Federal Reserve
Following the publication of the above data by the US Ministry of Labor, Donald Trump drew his arrows from the American Federal Reserve, once again dropping interest rates.
In his message, the American president has referred to the drop in prices in a product category and to the sustained rate of the labor market, saying that these are developments that support a reduction in interest rates.
He writes in particular: “The price of gasoline has just passed under the bar of $ 1.98 per gallon, its lowest level in years. The prices of food products (and eggs!) Are decreasing, as are those of energy, mortgage rates; The job is solid, and many other good news is added to that, with billions of dollars in customs revenue. As I said, we are in the transition phase, and this is only the beginning! Consumers have been lowering prices for years. No inflation! The Fed should lower its interest rates ”.
According to Chris Zaccarelli, director of investments at Northlight Asset Management, “the markets have sigh of relief today, employment data being better than expected. Even if fears of recession persist, investors keep their momentum to “buy in the event of a drop” “.
And to add: “We have already seen how the financial markets will react if the administration continues the initial price plan, so if Washington does not change course in July, when the 90 -day break expires, we will see an action of the market similar to that of the first week of April”.
