U.S. Stocks See Biggest Gains In Month Of May Since 1990
U.S. stocks are coming off their best performance in the month of May since 1990.
The S&P 500 index also recorded its strongest performance for any month since 2023, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
In all, the S&P 500 rose 6% this May after plunging nearly 20% in April as U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his tariff policies.
Other U.S. indices also registered big gains during May 2025, with the Nasdaq Composite index up nearly 10% as major technology names such as Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla recovered.
Nvidia and Tesla’s stocks each rose more than 20% in the month. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 4% in May of this year.
In Canada, the main Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) increased 5% during May, a strong showing for the bourse.
For U.S. equities, May has represented a big turnaround after the S&P 500 declined for three consecutive months.
As President Trump eased many of his tariffs and entered into trade negotiations with different countries, including China, it has injected confidence into the markets, say analysts.
At the same time, economic data out of the U.S. has remained strong and showed signs of resilience.
On May 30, the last trading day of the month, data showed that U.S. inflation declined to an annualized rate of 2.1% in April, lower than the consensus expectation of economists.
