Connor Smith

Stocks slipped even further in the final 10 minutes of trading on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average locked in its worst month since 2022. The Dow shed 1,991.45 points, or 5%, this month, its worst decline since September 2022, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened higher on Wednesday and was outperforming the other two major indexes ahead of the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate decision.

Stocks were holding steady in Wednesday afternoon trading as the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate decision loomed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 86 points, or 0.2%. The S&P 500 was down 0.

Stocks were higher on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve's policy committee kept interest rates steady at its April meeting. The Federal Open Market Committee kept the target range for the federal-funds rate at 5.

Stocks couldn't hold on to their gains Wednesday even though Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appeared less hawkish than traders had feared at his latest press conference. The Nasdaq Composite was down 0.3%. The S&P 500, which was up 1.2% at its high, marked its largest blown gain since Jan. 9, 2023, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

Stocks rallied and yields dropped after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he believed monetary policy was restrictive enough to push inflation toward the central bank's 2% target. The Nasdaq Composite was up 0.4%. The latter two were trading lower prior to Powell’s press conference.

The stock market looked to bounce back on Thursday after it couldn’t hold on to gains in the wake of the latest Federal Reserve interest-rate decision. The Nasdaq Composite rose 1%. The three major stock indexes rallied on Wednesday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference, which was viewed as dovish by the market.

Chip stocks were rebounding on Thursday following strong results from Qualcomm. The iShares Semiconductor ETF was up 1.6% on Thursday. Qualcomm shares rose 8.5% after the mobile chip firm's fiscal second-quarter earnings topped expectations.

The market was rallying on Thursday as bond yields pulled back. The Nasdaq Composite was up 1.4%. Stocks rallied and yields dropped on Wednesday after Powell said he believed monetary policy was sufficiently restrictive to bring inflation down to the central bank’s 2% target.

The S&P 500 held on and closed higher Thursday ahead of a key employment report and Apple's earnings.