How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday, 9/17/2025

U.S. stocks churned between gains and losses, but they ultimately remained near their record levels.

The S&P 500 fell 0.1% Wednesday and hung near its record set at the start of the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 260 points, or 0.6%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.3%.

Stocks initially rose and bond yields fell after officials at the Federal Reserve indicated they may cut interest rates several more times by the end of 2026. But they snapped back after Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned not to take the projections as gospel.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 fell 6.41 points, or 0.1%, to 6,600.35.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 260.42 points, or 0.6%, to 46,018.32.

The Nasdaq composite fell 72.63 points, or 0.3%, to 22,261.33.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 4.31 points, or 0.2%, to 2,407.34.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is up 16.06 points, or 0.2%.

The Dow is up 184.10 points, or 0.4%.

The Nasdaq is up 120.22 points, or 0.5%.

The Russell 2000 is up 10.28 points, or 0.4%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 718.72 points, or 12.2%.

The Dow is up 3,474.10 points, or 8.2%.

The Nasdaq is up 2,950.53 points, or 15.3%.

The Russell 2000 is up 177.19 points, or 7.9%.