The S&P 500 (SPX) index continued its recent downward momentum on Friday after President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs further damaged the stock market. The President introduced tariffs on Wednesday on all U.S. imports, as well as separate tariffs that targeted specific countries. This triggered a stock market selloff that started yesterday.
There have been some changes since then, including China’s introduction of a 34% retaliatory tariff on U.S. imports. One change that may be seen as a positive is President Trump completing a call with Taiwan. The President said this was a productive call, giving investors hope that it could result in lower tariffs. The President has previously mentioned that tariffs are a negotiation tactic.
Even so, fear is still driving the stock market today, with the S&P 500 index down 4.52% as of this writing. That extended the SPX’s 9.69% drop over the last three months and 8.25% year-to-date decrease.
S&P 500 Stocks Down Today
Turning to the S&P 500 index heatmap, investors will see that the vast majority of stocks have fallen today. The trade war hasn’t been kind to the stock market, and investors are fleeing to safe-haven investments, such as gold. This has most stocks down as investors sell their stakes in favor of these more reliable investments. Some traders might see these dips as an attractive entry point before a possible rebound.
The Best Way to Invest in the S&P 500 Index
Investors who want to bet on the S&P 500 index have a few options available to them. The easiest is buying shares listed on the index, but that can require a lot of time managing investments. Traders could avoid that trouble by buying shares of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the index. One popular pick is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY).
