Weekly Stock Market Update | Dow, S&P 500, NASDAQ News – July 13, 2025 at 07:01 AM

The stock market closed lower this week with escalating trade war tensions and series of tariff rates hike announced by President Trump. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid by 279.13 points to 44,371.51 on Friday and ended the week with a 1% loss. The S&P 500 ended 0.33% down at 6,259.75 on Friday with a weekly loss of 0.3%, whereas the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.22% on Friday and marked a 0.1% weekly loss, ending at 20,585.53.

Stocks took a hit after President Trump threatened Canada with a 35% tariff and hinted at higher tariff rates across the board. He also indicated potential tariffs between 15%-20% on remaining countries. Despite trade developments, S&P 500 reached a new record gaining 0.3% on Thursday and similarly Nasdaq finished higher by 0.1%. No significant updates regarding the European Union tariffs were made, adding to the market’s uncertainty.

Shares of Toyota Motor and Honda Motor suffered a decline, dropping 4% and 3.9% respectively, after President Trump shared a series of posts indicating new tariffs on imported goods. Tech giants including Apple and Alphabet also suffered a more than 1% loss.

Despite increasing trade tensions, The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite hit new milestones on Thursday with S&P 500 gaining 0.27% to finish at 6,280.46, and Nasdaq closing 0.09% up at 20,630.67. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 192 points to conclude at 44,650.64.

Despite President Trump instituting a 50% U.S. tariff on imported copper and a 50% tariff on Brazil, US markets have sustained and progressed to record highs. Artificial intelligence’s positive impact on the market resulted in Nvidia shares gaining nearly 2% higher and becoming the first public company valued at $4 trillion.

Another significant loser was Tesla, dropping nearly 7% after CEO Elon Musk announced his intention to form a new political party named the “America Party.” Investors were displeased with Musk’s political interests, alleging that it negatively impacted Tesla’s brand and sales.

Looking ahead, the upcoming earnings season, alongside key inflation data, will be critical for investors to navigate the current market conditions.

U.S. stocks saw a significant rise this week with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) increasing by almost 0.5% to end at 44,458.30 points. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) also had substantial gains of 0.6% and 0.9% respectively, closing at fresh records of 6,280.46 and 20,611.34.

AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) was a standout performer, its stock surging to cross the $4 trillion market cap to be the most valuable company in history. However, it ended slightly below the milestone by the close of the week. Other tech stocks including Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Alphabet also saw significant gains reflecting a rejuvenated interest in the artificial intelligence theme.

However, not all news was positive this week. Tesla (TSLA) stock experienced a nearly 7% drop after CEO Elon Musk announced the formation of a new political party, the “America Party.”

President Trump’s increased trade-related rhetoric took center stage this week. He ramped up tariff threats, announcing new rates ranging from 20% to 30% on countries like the Philippines, Libya, Algeria, and Iraq. In addition, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on copper and up to 200% duties on pharmaceuticals.

Still, tariffs did not seem to dampen the market significantly, as the market saw them as potential leverage for deal-making. Market focus remains on potential trade pacts with bigger US trading partners such as the EU, India, and Canada. Jobless claims dropped slightly, decreasing by 5,000 from the previous week to 227,000.