Stock Market Update Thursday May 1, 2025

Stock Market Update Thursday May 1, 2025 Robust earnings prints from mega-cap bellwethers Meta and Microsoft underpinned a broadly constructive tone across equities, bolstering risk appetite. However, late-session profit-taking curtailed earlier momentum, paring gains in the S&P 500 to a 0.6% close—well off its 1.5% intraday high.

Index performance on the session: SPX +0.6%, Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) +1.1%, and Russell 2000 (IWM) +0.6%.

Away From Stocks: Treasury markets saw a retracement as yields climbed sharply across the curve—2-year and 30-year notes rose 10 and 8 basis points, respectively, to 3.70% and 4.74%, reflecting a reassessment of rate expectations. Crude oil (WTI) reversed earlier weakness, settling at $59 per barrel amid afternoon buying interest, while gold prices tumbled over 2% to $3,234 per ounce as risk-on sentiment dented demand for safe-haven assets. Bitcoin advanced toward the $97,000 threshold, signaling ongoing speculative strength, while the VIX remained subdued just below the 25 handle, suggesting complacency in volatility expectations.