Trading results for 27-30 May 2025
A short four-day trading week might have promised calm for investors – but peace was not on the agenda. Analysts had warned in advance: brace for a turbulent week – and they were right.
Things began on a high note. Following Monday’s Memorial Day holiday in the U.S., market participants returned in good spirits. There was cause for celebration too: Donald Trump postponed the introduction of European tariffs from 1 June to July. Investors warmly welcomed the news, and Tuesday’s trading quickly recouped losses from the previous week.
It looked like the rally would continue – but that optimism quickly faded. The market stalled as profit-taking set in. Share prices edged down slowly, dragging the indexes with them. Initially the decline was half-hearted, with low volumes. But by week’s end, new concerns emerged – legal clashes over the same Trump-era tariffs. First, the U.S. Court of International Trade annulled the new duties and ordered the President to repeal most of them by 5 June. Investors saw this as a positive signal and rushed to buy.
However, that was swiftly undone by the Court of Appeals, which suspended the lower court’s decision and reinstated the tariffs. Investor disappointment was immediate and obvious – markets wavered, unsure how to respond. Remarkably, despite the chaos, there was no sharp sell-off, and the week ended roughly flat. The only standout was Friday’s trading volume – which surged close to yearly highs.
Still, thanks to investor resilience, the week managed to close in positive territory – a mildly surprising result. The gains of around 2% across indexes didn’t fully offset the previous week’s 2.5% drop, but over three-quarters of the losses were recovered. Growth was fairly even across the board.
The best performer was the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite, up just over 2% (+2.01%). The S&P 500 followed closely with a 1.88% gain, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA-30) rose more modestly by 1.6%. Encouragingly, investors kept buying despite uncertainty – echoed in remarks by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
Looking at sectoral performance, the picture was even more striking: all 11 sectors ended the week in the green. Some gains were marginal – Consumer Cyclical stocks added just 0.01% – but defensive sectors outperformed. Real Estate (+2.54%), Utilities (+2.04%), and Consumer Defensive (+2.04%) stocks led the way, helping lift the broader market.
Health Care stocks were also in demand – occasionally topping daily performance charts. On average, the sector gained 1.76%. Tech stocks, however, were notably absent from the list of leaders – likely due to tariff tensions. Even Nvidia (NVDA), which surged over 6% after a strong earnings report on Wednesday, closed the week down nearly 3%.
ITS indexes mirrored the U.S. market. Both the ITS World (ITSW) and ITS Shariah (ITSS) indexes ended the week higher. ITSS stood out with a 2.28% gain – outperforming all major U.S. indexes.
ITSW’s 1.31% rise may seem modest, but the index’s lower volatility is largely due to its strong geographic diversification. This also means it has been more resilient during downturns. For context: the S&P 500 is still nearly 4% below its all-time high, and the NASDAQ over 5%. ITSW is trailing its peak by less than 2%.
In summary, despite heightened uncertainty, investors remain cautiously optimistic. There’s no rush to sell or lock in gains just yet. The release of May macroeconomic data in early June may prove decisive – offering a clearer picture of the economy’s true condition.