Trump tariff pause sends stocks rising: Look at best days in Nasdaq, S&P and Dow history

The stock market rocketed after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause in some of his tariffs on Wednesday. The S&P 500 rose 9.52% to settle at 5,456.90 - its biggest one-day gain since 2008. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 2,962.86 points, or 7.87%, to close at 40,608.45. This was Dow's biggest one-day jump since March 2020. The Nasdaq Composite rose 12.16% to end at 17,124.97 - its largest one-day jump since January 2001 and second-best day ever.

Trump's tariff pause announcement

In a post on Truth Social, the president said that he has ‘authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately’. The 78-year-old added that he is raising the tariff on China to 125%.

Read More: Donald Trump announces 125% China tariff, 90-day pause for others

Soon after Donald Trump's announcement, stocks of companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia and Meta rocketed.

Here’s a look at some of the best single-day percentage gains in the history of the NASDAQ, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and S&P 500 (percentage gains):

Nasdaq

January 3, 2001: +14.17%

- The NASDAQ surged 324.83 points to 2,616.69, rebounding from a brutal dot-com crash bear market. This was a short-lived rally, as the index later hit new lows in 2002.

April 9, 2025: +12%

- Today’s rebound, with the Nasdaq jumping 12%, marks its second-best day ever.

October 13, 2008: +11.81%

- A 194.77-point gain to 1,844.25 during the financial crisis, spurred by government bank bailouts. Like January 2001, this was a bear market rally, with lower lows ahead in 2009.

Dow Jones

March 15, 1933: +15.34

- A Depression-era surge of 8.26 points to 62.10, as banks reopened after FDR’s bank holiday.

October 6, 1931: +14.87%

- Up 12.86 points to 99.34, another Great Depression rebound.

April 9, 2025: +7.8%

- Today’s reported surge of nearly 3,000 points is a record point gain. This ranks among the Dow’s top 10 percentage days, though not topping 1930s extremes.

Read More: Trump involved in market manipulation? ‘Great time to buy' post in focus amid tariff pause

S&P 500

October 20, 1987: +9.10%

- Up 20.47 points to 245.31, recovering from Black Monday’s 20.47% plunge. A classic post-crash bounce.

March 24, 2020: +9.38%

- A 209.92-point leap to 2,447.33 during the COVID crash, driven by stimulus expectations.

April 9, 2025: +9.5%

- The S&P 500 jumped 9.5%, its 8th-best day following Trump's tariff pause announcement.