Stocks Slide As Auto Tariffs Boost Tesla, Rivian And Hit GM, Ford: What's Driving Markets Thursday?

Benzinga
28 Mar

Wall Street dipped slightly on Thursday, with all major indexes edging into the red as investors digested President Donald Trump‘s latest move on auto tariffs.

Late Wednesday, Trump announced a 25% tariff on all auto imports starting next week, with duties on auto parts set to follow in May.

European automakers took a hit, with Mercedes-Benz Group AG MBGAF and Porsche Automobile Holding SE POAHF sliding 2.5% and 5%, respectively.

Michigan-based carmakers didn't fare much better. Shares of Ford Motor Co. F fell 2.5%, while General Motors Co. GM plunged 6.5%, with the latter marking the worst performance on the S&P 500.

In contrast, U.S. electric vehicle makers rallied. Tesla Inc. TSLA rose 2.6%, and Rivian Automotive Inc. RIVN jumped 5%. The rally followed comments from Goldman Sachs analyst Mark Delenay, who pointed to their fully domestic production as a significant advantage under the new tariffs.

Meanwhile, gold extended its rally, climbing over 1% and testing record highs as the U.S. dollar softened. Silver gained 2%, while copper pulled back 2% after a strong run that had lifted it to all-time highs.

Bitcoin BTC/USD held firm at $86,875, signaling a cautious tone across the crypto market.

Thursday’s Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs

Major IndicesPriceChg %
Nasdaq 10019,840.57-0.4%
Dow Jones42,277.82-0.4%
S&P 5005,687.68-0.4%
Russell 20002,060.90-0.7%
Updated at 1:00 p.m. ET

According to Benzinga Pro data:

  • The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY inched 0.4% lower to $566.80.
  • The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average DIA fell 0.5% to $422.32.
  • The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series QQQ dropped 0.5% to $482.05.
  • The iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM fell 0.6% to $204.29
  • The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund XLP outperformed, up 0.8%; the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund XLE lagged, down 1%.

Thursday’s Stock Movers

  • Dollar Tree Inc. DLTR rallied over 8% after the company announced that it would sell its Family Dollar business for $1.01 billion to Brigade and Macellum Capital.
  • AutoZone Inc. AZO rallied 3.7% to fresh record highs in reaction to import tariffs on automotive parts.
  • Shares of car rental firms also rallied amid potentially higher margins. Avis Budget Group Inc. CAR and Hertz Global Holdings Inc. HTZ both rocketed by about 20%.
  • GameStop Inc. GME plunged 22% after it announced a private offering of convertible debt to buy Bitcoin.
  • New Fortress Energy Inc. NFE tumbled more than 10% after the company announced plans to divest its natural gas assets and operations in Jamaica.
  • Lululemon Athletica Inc. LULU will report its earnings after the close. Shares were up 0.7%.

Read Next:

  • April 2 Tariffs Could Trigger A US Dollar ‘Rally To Sell,’ Bank Of America Economists Say

Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.

$BTCBitcoin
$86869.27-0.06%
Overview
AZOAutoZone Inc
$3823.033.84%
CARAvis Budget Group Inc
$73.1118.8%
DIASPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF
$423.04-0.28%
DLTRDollar Tree Inc
$76.1510.0%
FFord Motor Co
$10.02-2.71%
GMGeneral Motors Co
$47.35-7.07%
GMEGameStop Corp
$21.72-23.4%
HTZHertz Global Holdings Inc
$4.1520.3%
IWMiShares Russell 2000 ETF
$204.92-0.33%
LULULululemon Athletica Inc
$340.490.80%
MBGAFMercedes-Benz Group AG
$60.86-1.73%
NFENew Fortress Energy Inc
$9.38-15.2%
POAHFPorsche Automobil Holding SE
$42.654.62%
QQQInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
$482.77-0.33%
RIVNRivian Automotive Inc
$12.785.58%
SPYSPDR S&P 500
$567.56-0.18%
TSLATesla Inc
$275.891.41%
XLESPDR Select Sector Fund - Energy Select Sector
$92.89-0.95%
XLKSPDR Select Sector Fund - Technology
$211.76-0.81%
XLPSPDR Select Sector Fund - Consumer Staples
$80.640.93%
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Most Discussed

  1. 1
     
     
     
     
  2. 2
     
     
     
     
  3. 3
     
     
     
     
  4. 4
     
     
     
     
  5. 5
     
     
     
     
  6. 6
     
     
     
     
  7. 7
     
     
     
     
  8. 8
     
     
     
     
  9. 9
     
     
     
     
  10. 10