Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the Financial District in New York City on March 4, 2025.
Timothy A. Clary | Afp | Getty Images
The April sell-off for financial markets has been wider and more volatile than typical pullbacks, fueling concern that the aggressive and constantly changing trade policy from Washington, D.C. could be doing long-term damage to the financial standing of the U.S.
The S&P 500 has now dropped 5.4% since President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, with day-to-day moves that are drawing uncomfortable comparisons to infamous financial periods like 2008 and 1987. The drop over the past seven trading days comes after the stock market had already had a rocky start to 2025, and other major U.S. asset classes have also started to slide, including the dollar and Treasurys.
“The big takeaway from this year, from the Trump presidency, from everything that’s happened, is that…


