Stocks move in different directions as UnitedHealth drags down the Dow and tech tries to recover

The healthcare elephantine slashed its 2025 nett forecast and missed net expectations, spooking investors and weighing heavy connected the price-weighted Dow.

Nvidia besides remained nether pressure, down much than 1% successful aboriginal trading, extending losses aft its $5.5 cardinal complaint related to caller spot export restrictions to China. The broader tech assemblage continues to grapple with geopolitical fallout, regulatory uncertainty, and net jitters. The Nasdaq remains down astir 15% twelvemonth to date.

As the Trump medication sought to blasted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for tariff-related marketplace fallout, the European Central Bank (ECB) chopped involvement rates again Thursday, lowering its benchmark complaint to 2.25% — its seventh chopped successful the past year.

ECB President Christine Lagarde pointed to rising planetary commercialized tensions, peculiarly U.S. tariffs, arsenic a large resistance connected euro-area growth. “Anybody successful this country who thinks that we are successful a shock-free world, would I suggest possibly rise their hands oregon person their caput examined either way,” she said. “We are not successful a shock-free world, that’s for sure.”

Alongside UnitedHealth, Thursday’s net slate besides includes reports from Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), Netflix (NFLX), American Express (AXP), and homebuilder D.R. Horton (DHI).

Wall Street observers volition leafage done a caller circular of firm results arsenic they proceed to navigate what progressively feels similar a geopolitical tempest without a forecast.

But Wednesday’s sell-off suggests that immoderate consciousness of stableness oregon that things are concern arsenic accustomed is eroding. As the marketplace moved toward adjacent yesterday, the large indexes posted their steepest declines successful weeks. The S&P 500 fell 2.2%, the Dow dropped much than 700 points, and the Nasdaq plunged implicit 3%. In idiosyncratic names, Apple (AAPL) fell 3.9%, Tesla (TSLA) dropped astir 5%, and Nvidia (NVDA) plunged astir 7%.

The driblet came contempt a stronger-than-expected March retail income study and net beats from respective blue-chip names, further underscoring conscionable however overmuch markets are being driven by abrupt argumentation shifts alternatively than fundamentals. It whitethorn each dependable abstract — until you see that Apple, Nvidia, and their peers are among the astir wide held stocks successful U.S. status funds. If you person a 401(k), likelihood are bully you’re on for the ride.