How did U.S. stock indices perform in February 2025?

In February 2025, the S&P 500 fell 1.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 1.4%, and the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 3.9%. Read the full analysis here .

Which sectors had the highest and lowest returns in February 2025?

Consumer Staples rose 5.2%, making it the highest-performing sector, while Consumer Discretionary fell 7%, marking the lowest performance. See sector performance trends here .

What was the trend in home prices during February 2025?

The Median Sale Price of Existing Homes fell below $400,000 for the first time in nearly a year, indicating potential cooling in the housing market. Learn more here .

How did unemployment and labor force participation change in February 2025?

Unemployment fell to 4.0%, and labor force participation rose during February 2025, reflecting a stronger job market. Read the labor market insights here .

What was the performance of gold and oil prices in February 2025?

Gold reached a new all-time high in February 2025, while oil prices declined amid shifting global demand. Explore commodity trends here .

Resources > Blog > Advisors > Monthly Market Wrap: April 2025

Monthly Market Wrap: April 2025

May 2, 2025

Welcome back to the Monthly Market Wrap from YCharts, where we dissect crucial market trends for advisors and their clients. This April, the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose less than 1% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a 3% decline, core inflation fell below 3% for the first time since 2021, and the middle of the yield curve saw a decline in yields.

Want to use these visuals in your own presentations? Download our free Monthly Market Wrap slide deck, containing all charts featured in the Market Wrap and more in a shareable, presentation-ready format.

April 2025 Market Summary: Domestic Stock Indices Mixed, Inflation Sets Record Low, Mid-Term Treasury Yields Fall

U.S. indices posted mixed results in April largely due to gains in the technology sector with tough quarters for some large-cap blue-chip companies. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.88%, the S&P 500 slipped 0.68%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 3.08% due to significant losses by Chevron (-18.67%) and UnitedHealth Group (-21.44%), which make up 2% and 6% of the index, respectively.

Global markets had a positive month; Developed EAFE Markets posted a 4.69% gain and Emerging Markets added 1.34%.

Seven of the eleven sectors were in the red in April. Oil prices tumbled in April, forcing the Energy sector down 13.86%. The second worst performer was the Health Care sector, which fell 3.8% in part due to shares of UnitedHealth Group (the second largest company in the sector) plummeting after missed earnings and a cut to its full-year profit forecast, cutting 35% off its peak market cap of $575 billion in November 2024. Technology was the best performer with a 1.69% gain, followed by Consumer Staples, which added 0.2%.

Jump to Equity Performance

Inflation fell to the lowest YoY level since February 2021, and Core Inflation came in under 3% for the first time in over four years. Oil prices tumbled in April; Brent crude oil fell 14.4% to $66.13 per barrel as of April 28th, while the price of WTI per barrel sank to $63.30. The Median Sales Price of Existing Homes rose back to its December 2024 level of $403,700 in March, the latest data available.

Jump to Economic Data

Mid-term treasury yields with durations between 1 and 10 years declined in April while the long term 20-year and 30-year both rose slightly. This treasury yield movement led the iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) to increase 0.43% while the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) declined 1.36%.

Jump to Fixed Income Performance

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Off the YCharts! Winners & Losers of the Dow Jones

While the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.88% in April, the Dow Jones Industrial Average consisting of 30 “blue-chip” names shed 3.08%. 21 of the 30 Dow constituents were negative in April, including these five worst performers:

UnitedHealth Group (UNH): -21.44%
Chevron (CVX): -18.67%
Nike (NKE): -11.15%
The Walt Disney Co (DIS): -7.85%
Amgen (AMGN): -6.62%

Here were the five best Dow performers in April:

Walmart (WMT): 10.78%
Boeing (BA): 7.44%
Microsoft (MSFT): 5.29%
McDonald’s (MCD): 2.33%
Coca-Cola (KO): 1.30%

YCharts scatter plot showing performance of Dow Jones 30 constituents in April 2025

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Equity Performance: Developed Global Markets Push Higher, Nasdaq Rises While Blue-Chip Dow Jones Index Falls

Economic Data Overview: Inflation Reaches Lowest YoY Level in Over Four Years, Oil Prices Tank, Home Prices Rise

Employment

The unemployment rate ticked higher for the second straight month, with March’s figure coming in at 4.2%. The labor force participation rate hovered at 62.5%. Nonfarm payroll data for March revealed that the U.S. economy added 228,000 jobs in the month, surpassing the 140,000 estimate.

Consumers and Inflation

The US inflation rate dropped further to 2.39% in March, reaching its lowest level since February 2021. Core inflation’s print of 2.79% also hit a milestone as it fell below 3% for the first time since April 2021. The US Consumer Price Index contracted by 0.1%, doing so for the first time since May 2020, and US Personal Spending rose 0.66%.

The Federal Reserve maintained its key Fed Funds Rate target range of 4.25%-4.50% at the FOMC’s March 19th meeting. The next meeting will take place May 7th, where investors anticipate the Fed Funds Rate to remain unchanged for the third consecutive meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

Production and Sales

The US ISM Manufacturing PMI fell by 0.3 points in April to 48.7, keeping the index in contraction territory. The Services PMI declined by 2.7 points between February and March, bringing its latest reading down to 50.80. The YoY US Producer Price Index declined to 2.74% in March, while US Retail and Food Services Sales jumped 1.43% MoM between February and March.

Housing

US New Single-Family Home Sales spiked 7.42% higher MoM in March, though Existing Home Sales contracted by 5.85% MoM. The Median Sales Price of Existing Homes grew to $403,700 in March, the same level as December 2024, and remains 5.43% off its all-time high. Mortgage rates were relatively stable in April; the 15-year Mortgage Rate was 5.94% as of April 24th, while the 30-year settled at 6.81%.

Commodities

The price of gold reached another all-time high in April, touching $3,500 per ounce in US Dollars before ending the month at $3,288.16. Oil prices took a dive in April; Brent crude oil plummeted 14.4% MoM to $66.13 per barrel as of April 28th, while the price of WTI slipped 11.9% to $63.30 per barrel as of the same date. The average price of gas declined two cents MoM to $3.26 per gallon.

Cryptocurrencies

The prices of major cryptocurrencies posted mixed performances in April. Bitcoin surged 14.5% in April to $94,256.36, bringing the asset class up 1.8% YTD but remains 11.2% below its all-time high. Ethereum was roughly flat in the month, moving downward 0.5% to $1,796.97, keeping the second-largest cryptocurrency down 46.5% YTD and 62.7% off of its all-time high.

Fixed Income Performance: Insights into Bond ETFs and Treasury Yields

US Treasury Yield Curve

1 Month Treasury Rate: 4.35%

3 Month Treasury Rate: 4.31%

6 Month Treasury Rate: 4.19%

1 Year Treasury Rate: 3.85%

2 Year Treasury Rate: 3.60%

3 Year Treasury Rate: 3.58%

5 Year Treasury Rate: 3.72%

10 Year Treasury Rate: 4.17%

20 Year Treasury Rate: 4.68%

30 Year Treasury Rate: 4.66%

YCharts chart of the US Treasury Yield Curve as of April 30th, 2025

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Bond Fund Performance

YCharts chart of Bond ETF Performance as of April 30th, 2025

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Weekly Market Pulse: April 28–May 2, 2025 – Navigating Tech Earnings, Trade Talks, and Employment Trends