Stocks Just Had One of Their Worst Weeks of This Century—Here Are the Grim Details

Stocks fell on Friday, adding to massive losses the day before and capping one of the worst Wall Street weeks since the turn-of-the century. 

Market participants began the week cautiously hopeful that the reciprocal duties that were scheduled to be announced on Wednesday would provide businesses and investors with much-needed clarity about U.S. Trade Policy. Investors were surprised by the size and scope of these taxes, which will likely raise the U.S. tariff rate to the highest level it has been in over a century. Economists warn that tariffs of this magnitude could reduce economic growth and ignite inflation. 

This week’s market decline was one of the worst in recent history. Here are some data that will help put this week’s market decline in perspective: 

• The S&P 500 fell 10.5% across Thursday and Friday, the index’s worst 2-day stretch since March 2020 and its third-worst since the turn of the century. The index’s 9.1% decline this week is the seventh worst week in the past 25 years.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average had its sixth worst week in the 21st Century; it fell by 7.9% for the week and by 9.3% on the last two trading days.
• The Dow lost 2,231 point on Friday. This is the third-largest drop in one day points on record. 
• The Nasdaq Composite is down 11.4% since Trump announced his tariffs. This is also its worst two-day stretch since March 20. 
• As of Friday, the Dow was down 14.9% compared to its all-time high closing on December 4. The S&P 500 has shed 17.4% since hitting its high on Feb. 19, while the Nasdaq Composite has dropped 22.7% since its record close on Dec. 16.
• Apple (AAPL), which is the world’s largest company, has lost 15.9% of its value since Wednesday. This is their worst two-day stretch since September 2008 The iPhone maker’s market cap was reduced by more than $500 billion dollars as a result of the rout. 
• 31 companies in the S&P 500 lost more than 20% this week; 247 companies, or nearly half the index, fell 10% or more. 
• Just 21 stocks in the benchmark index—mostly healthcare companies and utilities—finished the week higher; on Friday, only 14 stocks rose. 
• Nike (NKE), a blue-chip Dow component, closed Friday with a 3% gain. Shares ended the week 10% lower. 
• Even companies that had little or no direct exposure to tariffs were hit hard. Palantir, the software company whose revenue is largely derived from the federal government fell 14% in the past week. DoorDash and Netflix (NFLX), both of which do not make or sell any physical goods subject to tariffs, fell 11% and 8% respectively. 

UPDATE-April 5, 2025: This article has been updated with additional information about the magnitude of the stock market's recent decline, and a new image.