How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday, 5/21/2025

Key Points

• Wall Street slid as Treasury yields jumped on worries over the U.S. government’s spiraling debt and a weak 20-year bond auction.
• The S&P 500 dropped 1.6%, the Dow fell 1.9%, and the Nasdaq sank 1.4% on Wednesday.
• The Russell 2000 index led losses with a 2.8% decline, underscoring weakness in small-cap stocks.
• For the week, the S&P and Dow were down 1.9% and the Nasdaq 1.8%, while year-to-date the S&P is off 0.6% and the Russell 2000 down 8.2%.

Wall Street slumped under the weight of pressure from the bond market, where Treasury yields climbed on worries about the U.S. government’s spiraling debt and other concerns.

The S&P 500 fell 1.6% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.9%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.4%.

Stocks had been drifting only modestly lower earlier in the day, after Target and other retailers gave mixed forecasts for their upcoming profits. The market then turned sharply lower after the U.S. government released the results for its latest auction of 20-year bonds. That helped send Treasury yields jumping.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 fell 95.85 points, or 1.6%, to 5,844.61.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 816.80 points, or 1.9%, to 41,860.44.

The Nasdaq composite fell 270.07 points, or 1.4%, to 18,872.64.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 59.02 points, or 2.8%, to 2,046.56.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is down 113.77 points, or 1.9%.

The Dow is down 794.30 points, or 1.9%.

The Nasdaq is down 338.46, or 1.8%.

The Russell 2000 is down 66.70 points, or 3.2%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is down 37.02 points, or 0.6%.

The Dow is down 683.78 points, or 1.6%.

The Nasdaq is down 438.15, or 2.3%.

The Russell 2000 is down 183.60 points, or 8.2%.