Trump tariff pause sends stocks rising: Look at best days in Nasdaq, S&P and Dow history

The stock market rocketed after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause in some of his tariffs on Wednesday

Updated on: Apr 10, 2025, 03:28:32 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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The stock market rocketed after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause in some of his tariffs on Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose 9.52% to settle at 5,456.90 - its biggest one-day gain since 2008. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 2,962.86 points, or 7.87%, to close at 40,608.45. This was Dow's biggest one-day jump since March 2020. The Nasdaq Composite rose 12.16% to end at 17,124.97 - its largest one-day jump since January 2001 and second-best day ever.

Trump's tariff pause announcement

In a post on Truth Social, the president said that he has ‘authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately’. The 78-year-old added that he is raising the tariff on China to 125%.

Soon after Donald Trump's announcement, stocks of companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia and Meta rocketed.

Here’s a look at some of the best single-day percentage gains in the history of the NASDAQ, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and S&P 500 (percentage gains):

Nasdaq

January 3, 2001: +14.17%

- The NASDAQ surged 324.83 points to 2,616.69, rebounding from a brutal dot-com crash bear market. This was a short-lived rally, as the index later hit new lows in 2002.

April 9, 2025: +12%

- Today’s rebound, with the Nasdaq jumping 12%, marks its second-best day ever.

October 13, 2008: +11.81%

- A 194.77-point gain to 1,844.25 during the financial crisis, spurred by government bank bailouts. Like January 2001, this was a bear market rally, with lower lows ahead in 2009.

Dow Jones

March 15, 1933: +15.34

- A Depression-era surge of 8.26 points to 62.10, as banks reopened after FDR’s bank holiday.

October 6, 1931: +14.87%

- Up 12.86 points to 99.34, another Great Depression rebound.

April 9, 2025: +7.8%

- Today’s reported surge of nearly 3,000 points is a record point gain. This ranks among the Dow’s top 10 percentage days, though not topping 1930s extremes.

S&P 500

October 20, 1987: +9.10%

- Up 20.47 points to 245.31, recovering from Black Monday’s 20.47% plunge. A classic post-crash bounce.

March 24, 2020: +9.38%

- A 209.92-point leap to 2,447.33 during the COVID crash, driven by stimulus expectations.

April 9, 2025: +9.5%

- The S&P 500 jumped 9.5%, its 8th-best day following Trump's tariff pause announcement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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