LIVE MARKETS-S&P 500, Nasdaq bag their best May gains in decades

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S&P 500, NASDAQ BAG THEIR BEST MAY GAINS IN DECADES

Wall Street's main indexes gyrated on Friday before finishing mixed as U.S. President Donald Trump accused China of violating a tariff agreement, ramping up tensions in a bruising trade war and clouding the last day of an otherwise strong month for equities.

With stocks falling into midday lows, and President Trump then saying he will speak to China's President Xi Jinping and hopefully work out their differences on trade and tariffs, the main indexes regained a lot of lost ground.

Ultimately, the Dow .DJI ended slightly green, while the S&P 500 index .SPX ended essentially flat. The Nasdaq .IXIC dipped, but ended well above its worst levels.

All three indexes posted weekly and monthly gains.

The Dow rose 3.9% for the month, which was its biggest monthly rise since January. The S&P 500 advanced about 6.2% for its biggest monthly rise since November 2023. The Nasdaq rallied about 9.6%, which was also its biggest monthly gain since November 2023.

From another perspective, the Dow posted its biggest May gains since 2020. The Nasdaq scored its best May performance since 1997, and the S&P 500 posted its biggest advance for the month of May since 1990.

Here is a snapshot of where markets stood just shortly after 4 p.m. ET:

(Terence Gabriel)

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