US President Donald Trump is on display on television screens as traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on April 7, 2025.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office are the worst in the stock market to begin his four-year term as president since the 1970s.
This is the second worst 100-day performance since Trump took office on January 20th and when he took office on January 25th, he was in office on January 20th, the second worst 100-day performance. Nixon saw the S&P 500 at 9.9% in 1973, leading to a recession between 1973 and 1975, resulting in a series of economic measures he took to combat inflation. Nixon resigned in 1974 due to the Watergate scandal.
The S&P 500, on average, rose 2.1% in the president’s first 100 days, up in post-election year data, according to the CFRA.
The severity of the stock drawdown to launch President Trump’s presidency stands in stark contrast to the initial euphoria after the November election victory, when the S&P 500 surged to an all-time high, in the confidence that former businessmen will bring tax cuts and hopes of death. From Election Day to Inauguration Day, the S&P 500 has risen 3.7%, CFRA data shows.
The rally surged and then throbbed sharply as Trump used his early days in office to promise other campaigns that investors weren’t taking too seriously, especially a lot of worries that sparked inflation and boosted his aggressive approach to pushing the US into the recession.
In April, the S&P 500 plummeted, losing 10% in just two days, temporarily entering the territory of the bare market, following Trump’s “mutual” tariff announcement. Trump then returned some of the announcement and gave him a 90-day suspension to renegotiate a 90-day suspension to ease some of the investor concerns. Many people are worried that there will be more downsides.
“Everyone is looking for this bottom here,” said Jeffrey Hirsch, editor of the Stock Trader’s Yearbook. “I still think it’s a bare market rally. It’s like a bouncing off the near future. With the lack of clarity and continued uncertainty in Washington, we’re not sure we’re still in the woods.”
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S&P 500 since January 17th
The S&P 500, which reached a closure high of 6,144.15 on February 19, closed on Friday at 5,525.21. From November, all post-election profits have been erased.
Certainly, Trump has two more trading days to cut his losses. His first 100 days will technically end on Tuesday. With the S&P 500 gathering this week, he was able to get closer to his third worst start. A 6.9% decline in George W. Bush’s first 100 days in 2001.
