How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday, 7/16/2025

Key Points

• President Donald Trump's remarks about potentially firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell sparked intraday volatility before he downplayed the likelihood of such an action.
• The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 6,263.70, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5% to 44,254.78, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.3% to 20,730.49.
• The Russell 2000 of smaller companies led the session with a 1% advance to 2,226.98.
• Year to date, the Nasdaq tops the major indices with a 7.4% gain, followed by the S&P 500 (+6.5%) and the Dow (+4%), while the Russell 2000 edges down 0.1%.

President Donald Trump sent the U.S. stock market on a jagged round trip after saying he had “talked about the concept of firing” the head of the Federal Reserve.

The S&P 500 added 0.3% Wednesday after whipping through an earlier drop and subsequent recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%. Trump said he’s unlikely to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

Such a move could help Wall Street get the lower interest rates that investors love, but it would also raise the risk of a weakened Fed less able to make the unpopular moves needed to keep inflation under control.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 rose 19.94 points, or 0.3%, to 6,263.70.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 231.49 points, or 0.5%, to 44,254.78.

The Nasdaq composite rose 52.69 points, or 0.3%, to 20,730.49.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 21.93 points, or 1%, to 2,226.98.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is up 3.95 points, or 0.1%.

The Dow is down 116.73 points, or 0.3%.

The Nasdaq is up 144.96 points, or 0.7%.

The Russell 2000 is down 7.84 points, or 0.4%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 382.07 points, or 6.5%.

The Dow is up 1,710.56 points, or 4%.

The Nasdaq is up 1,419.70 points, or 7.4%.

The Russell 2000 is down 3.17 points, or 0.1%.