US Markets (2024)

FAQs

What is the US market doing today? ›

The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank on Friday, as banks kicked off earnings season against a backdrop of market worries about growing conflict in the Middle East. The Dow dropped 475 points, or 1.2%. The index sank about 2.4% this week, marking its worst week since March 10, 2023, according to Dow Jones Market Data.

The two major U.S. financial securities markets are the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.

The most widely followed indexes in the U.S. are the Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite.

Wall Street analysts' consensus estimates predict 3.6% earnings growth and 3.5% revenue growth for S&P 500 companies in the first quarter. Analysts project full-year S&P 500 earnings growth of 11.0% in 2024, but analysts are more optimistic about some market sectors than others.

A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock prices across a major cross-section of a stock market, resulting in a significant loss of paper wealth. Crashes are driven by panic selling and underlying economic factors. They often follow speculation and economic bubbles.

The sudden drop in stock prices may be influenced by economic conditions, catastrophic event(s), or speculative elements that sweep across the market. Most flash crashes are usually short bursts of market downturns that can last for a single day or much longer to bring investors heavy losses.

Stocks sold off Friday as inflation and geopolitical worries once again dented investor sentiment on Wall Street. A broad decline in major bank shares also weighed on the market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 475.84 points, or 1.24%, closing at 37,983.24.

What is the most valuable stock exchange in the world? ›

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the world's largest stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street, New York City, USA. NYSE has a market capitalisation of $26.2 trillion (world's biggest stock exchange) and has more than 2400 companies listed.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulates the stock market, and the SEC's mission is to “protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation." Historically, stock trades likely took place in a physical marketplace.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the largest in the world, plays an important role in the U.S. financial system, but also reflects and influences global trends.

The NYSE is owned by Intercontinental Exchange, an American holding company that it also lists (NYSE: ICE). Previously, it was part of NYSE Euronext (NYX), which was formed by the NYSE's 2007 merger with Euronext.

Year-to-date (YTD) performance refers to the change in price since the first day of the current year. For example, if a stock ends the previous calendar year trading for $50 per share and is worth $60 at the end of June, the return (assuming the stock paid no dividends) is $10 or 20%.

Regular operating hours for both exchanges are Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET. Markets do not operate during the weekend. Sometimes, if a holiday falls on a weekend, stock markets will close on the Friday prior to the holiday, as is often the case with Good Friday and Easter.

Here's where the major benchmarks ended: The S&P 500^® index (SPX) advanced 38.42 points (0.7%) to 5,199.06; the Dow Jones Industrial Average^® ($DJI) lost 2.43 points to 38,459.08; the Nasdaq Composite gained 271.84 points (1.7%) to 16,442.20. The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) rose nearly 2 basis points to 4.578%.