Weekly Stock Market Update | Dow, S&P 500, NASDAQ News – August 24, 2025 at 07:02 AM

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a record high of 45,631.74 this week, surging 846.24 points or 1.89%, stimulated by a speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The S&P 500 also rose by 1.52% to end at 6,466.91, whereas the Nasdaq was up 1.88% and settled at 21,496.53. Powell’s speech fueled the rally, triggering the expectation of the Federal Reserve easing monetary policy in September.

Among the gainers this week, Nvidia was up 1.7% and Meta Platforms jumped by over 2%. Alphabet and Amazon also saw impressive climbs of more than 3% each. Tesla shares had a significant jump of around 6%. For the week, the 30-stock Dow was up 1.5%, and the S&P 500 gained 0.3%, while the Nasdaq slipped by 0.6%.

However, the tech sector experienced some losses. Nvidia shares dropped, pulling down the whole sector. Other big-name tech companies, including Advanced Micro Devices, Broadcom, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta Platforms, also recorded declines. The S&P 500 suffered five consecutive days in the red, declining 0.4% to close at 6,370.17, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.34% to finish at 21,100.31. The Dow Jones was down 152.81 points, or 0.34%, ending at 44,785.50.

Retail companies had mixed fortunes. Target shares plummeted 6% after another sales decline and the announcement of a new CEO. On the other hand, Lowe’s shares edged higher after its earnings beat expectations. Walmart shares also dipped by more than 4% after the retailer missed quarterly earnings expectations.

In the upcoming week, investors are retaining a hopeful outlook following Powell’s speech, which sparked optimism concerning a September rate cut. The focus is now on the July personal consumption expenditure price index reading and Nvidia’s earnings to validate the rally and possible broad-based advance.

The US stock market experienced a rise on Friday with all three major indexes–Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and NASDAQ Composite–seeing significant jumps. The Dow climbed 800 points or 1.9% to reach a record close, the S&P 500 moved up about 1.5%, and the NASDAQ went up 1.9%.

Companies leading the gains included Zoom, Ross Stores, and Intel. Zoom’s shares rose due to a reported increase in AI, while Ross Stores benefited from consumers looking for discounts amid tariffs. Shares of Intel also climbed 5% after President Trump announced the government would take a 10% stake in the company.

Despite these gains, it wasn’t a completely upbeat week for the market, especially within the tech sector. AI and tech stocks like Nvidia and Palantir experienced losses due to doubts in the AI trade.

On the earnings front, over 92% of S&P 500 index companies have reported positive results. Earnings per share experienced an 11% rise this quarter. Some of the firms expected to report earnings in the coming week include Alibaba, Okta, Abercrombie & Fitch, CrowdStrike, HP, Kohl’s, and Nvidia.

Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole was a pivotal moment for the market. Powell opened the door for a potential reduction in interest rates in September, prompting traders to price in about 91.5% odds for a cut, up from 85% a week before.

Finally, certain tech stocks showed weaknesses over the week. For example, Advanced Micro Devices and Marvell Technology both saw nearly a 7% drop. On both Tuesday and Wednesday, Big Tech stocks—Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla—fell. As a group, these seven tech giants make up 33.5% of the S&P 500’s total market value, reflecting their large influence on the index’s performance.