Dow and SP 500 surge as Trump hits pause on tariffs

U.S. stock futures ticked higher Thursday following a historic market surge driven by President Trump’s decision to pause major tariff hikes.

S&P 500 futures rose 0.3%, Nasdaq futures gained 0.1%, and Dow futures climbed 0.4%.

The rally marked one of the biggest one-day gains since World War II. The S&P 500 jumped 9.5% – its best day since 2008 – while the Dow soared nearly 3,000 points, and the Nasdaq logged its second-best day ever.

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Markets reacted positively after Trump paused most reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, citing strong stock and bond market signals. However, he also escalated tariffs on Chinese goods to 125%, while keeping others like steel, auto, and baseline tariffs in place.

Investors now await March’s Consumer Price Index for more clues on inflation before tariffs take full effect.