US Market Holiday: Wall Street witnessed a mixed trend on Thursday, April 17, with the Dow Jones falling steeply by more than 1.3%, while its counterparts saw mild movement. The performance comes ahead of Good Friday, which will be celebrated on April 18. This day is declared a federal holiday in the USA. Does that mean the US market will be closed on Friday as well?
US Market Holiday 2025:
It needs to be noted that US market and federal holidays follow two different patterns of holidays. All federal holidays will not be market holidays; they're more public holidays, which include the shutdown of offices, schools, universities, and even banks. But in the US market, they practice a few important holidays every year. Good Friday is one of them!
There are two exchanges, such as Nasdaq and NYSE, and as per their list, Good Friday is a market holiday. Hence, trading in the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite indexes will be closed on April 18, Friday.
US Stock Market Update:
Dow Jones, the leading benchmark on Wall Street, dropped sharply by 527.16 points or 1.33% to end at 39,142.23 on April 17.
On the other hand, S&P 500 index closed at 5,282.70, marginally up by 7 points or 0.13%. Although in red, the tech-heavy index finished at 16,286.45, also marginally down by 20.71 points or 0.13%.
On the performance of the US market, Trading Economics said, US stocks closed mixed ahead of the Good Friday holiday, as investors weighed trade talks and interest rate uncertainty. The S&P 500 added 0.1%, boosted by gains from Eli Lilly, which surged 14.3% after its weight-loss pill matched Ozempic's performance in a diabetes trial, and Apple, which rebounded 1.4%. The Dow fell 527 points, dragged by a 22.4% drop in UnitedHealth shares due to a weak outlook, while the Nasdaq 100 finished muted. Netflix rose 1.2% ahead of its upcoming earnings report.
Trading Economic data further added that market sentiment was mixed as investors digested President Trump's comments on "big progress" in trade talks with Japan and his push for a deal with China. Jitters over tariffs and Trump's renewed criticism of Fed Powell, including calls for rate cuts, added to the uncertainty. A drop in weekly jobless claims pointed to labor market resilience, though attention remained focused on trade negotiations and monetary policy signals. For the week, the Dow and Nasdaq fell 2%, while the S&P 500 lost 1%.
Good Friday 2025:
Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, the day on which Christians annually observe the commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. From the early days of Christianity, Good Friday was observed as a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting, a characteristic that is found in the German word Karfreitag ("Sorrowful Friday"), as per Britannica.
The date of Good Friday varies from one year to the next in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Eastern and Western Christianity disagree over the computation of the date of Easter and therefore of Good Friday. Good Friday is a widely instituted legal holiday around the world. Some predominantly Christian countries, such as Germany, have laws prohibiting certain acts-public dancing, horse racing-in remembrance of the somber nature of Good Friday, as per Wikipedia.
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