Stock Market’s Extreme Moves Portend Lasting Trouble for Traders

Traders work on the floor American Stock Exchange (AMEX) at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Friday, April 11, 2025. US assets slumped across the board as the intensifying US-China trade spat threatens turmoil in the economy and the financial system.Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
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A knee-jerk reaction to President Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on broad tariffs propelled US stocks to one of their best days on record last week. Ironically, that could be a harbinger of tough times for equity investors.

The S&P 500 Index’s best days in history have usually preceded weaker-than-average returns in the near term. Following its 15 largest daily gains, the US stock benchmark was higher six months later just 43% of the time, Bloomberg Intelligence dataBloomberg Terminal going back to 1928 show. That’s lower than the 67% probability on any given day that the S&P 500 will advance over the subsequent half year.