--- title: April Is Usually a Great Month for Stocks. Trump's Tariffs Could Change That This Year description: April is historically the second-best month of the year for the stock market. This year, President Trump's tariffs may change that. authors: - name: Liliana Hall role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/ bio: Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. She is an Austin-based reporter for Money, where she covers a range of topics, including financial news, policy, banking, investing, passive income, financial planning and student loan debt. education: University of Texas at Austin at_money_since: 2025 articles: 134 covers: - Investing - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Insurance - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://x.com/lilihallllllll - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liliana-hall/ editors: - name: Jordan Chussler role: Editor, Investing and Banking url: https://money.com/author/jordan-chussler/ bio: Jordan is an investment editor and CPFC who specializes in traditional equities, gold and other precious metals, retirement savings and income investing. He combines his personal and professional interests in finance and education to help readers increase their financial literacy and make better investment choices. education: Lynn University certifications: Certified Personal Finance Counselor at_money_since: 2023 articles: 132 covers: - Investing - Banking - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement also_seen_in: - Weiss Ratings - 24/7 Wall Street - Better Investing - Yahoo Finance - Nasdaq - Investing.com - Marketbeat - MSN Money social: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-chussler-b3597811/ published: '2025-04-10T19:24:31.000Z' modified: '2025-04-10T19:24:31.000Z' section: Investing word_count: 708 canonical: https://money.com/april-historically-great-month-for-stocks/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Photo collage of a calendar with pins and string to form a stock chart](https://img.money.com/2025/03/Investing-April-Good-Month-Historically_955d17.jpg) The stock market historically loves April. But the month's track record of strong performances is uncertain this year after President Donald Trump’s back-and-forth [tariff announcements](https://money.com/tariffs-impact-higher-prices/) have sent U.S. stocks into a frenzy. Since 1971, April has been the second-best month of the year for the [S&P 500](https://money.com/how-to-invest-in-sp500/). However, this year the month began with the index dropping 11.54% alongside a record two-day loss that wiped out [$6.6 trillion](https://money.com/death-cross-stock-market-meaning/) in investor value. Then on Wednesday afternoon, the market rebounded when Trump reversed course and announced a 90-day tariff pause. With uncertainty continuing to be a theme this year, how will April play out, and what does it mean for your portfolio? ## Make sure your hard-earned money is protected with a Gold IRA ### Gold IRAs help you protect your investments by providing the asset diversification and stability you need. Click on your state to get started. [Invest in Gold](https://money.com/pr/i29c6a119361?ap_referrer=%2Fapril-historically-great-month-for-stocks%2F) ## Why April is historically a strong month for stocks Historical data shows that April tends to be a [top-performing month](https://money.com/april-best-month-for-stocks/) for the stock market, rewarding investors with an average return of 1.6% since 1945. As for why, the reasons remain hotly debated. Some folks attribute the month's strong performances to investors using their [tax refunds](https://money.com/how-to-invest-tax-refund/) to [buy stocks](https://money.com/how-to-buy-stocks/), which can drive bullish momentum. Others point to the fact that April marks the start of the second quarter, when institutional investors [redeploy cash](https://money.com/stock-market-swings-dont-cash-out/) after selling underperforming portfolio positions at the end of the first quarter. Though a myriad of factors could contribute to April’s positive track record over the years, market performance ultimately depends on broader economic and geopolitical conditions. "You can see quite a bit of variability depending on the economic backdrop and what's going on in the world," says Jordan Rizzuto, managing partner and chief investment officer of GammaRoad Capital Partners. "Taking a birds-eye view of April is actually a great example of that." That has been evidenced by the S&P 500's mixed results over the past five Aprils: - April 2020: 17.88% - April 2021: 4.01% - April 2022: -9.10% - April 2023: 1.09% - April 2024: -3.96% In 2020, April saw an enormous gain as stocks bounced back from the pandemic-induced market crash. In 2022, the month's sizable loss occurred during a nearly year-long [bear market](https://money.com/sectors-that-thrive-during-bear-markets/). Last year, April underperformed despite the S&P 500 ending 2024 with a gain of more than 23%. In other words, it’s impossible to know why these seasonal trends happen. ## What can we expect this month? Historical data only serves as a reference point, not a crystal ball. In fact, most economists do not take market predictions seriously. This year, we can already see why. Uncertainty around Trump’s widening trade war has soured market outlooks. The U.S. economy was already at a precarious tipping point leading up to last week's extensive tariff announcement, largely due to the ongoing strain from global trade tensions, persistent inflation and mixed signals from key economic indicators. "Right now, we're in the unique position where all three of our risk measures for the S&P 500 are [bearish](https://money.com/sectors-that-thrive-during-bear-markets/)," says Rizzuto. "It is categorically the least favorable environment you can have for equity market risk." Rizzuto added that he expects the environment to be characterized by significantly [higher volatility](https://money.com/what-to-do-volatile-stock-market/) than what might be the case during a so-called calmer or more favorable market environment. This became clear when the market experienced upside volatility Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon, following dramatic losses at the end of last week. "It's a double-edged sword," says Rizzuto. So, while April has historically been a strong month for stocks, the current economic environment certainly presents a few challenges. Trump’s heftier-than-expected tariffs have heightened [market volatility](https://money.com/stock-market-volatility-rising-trump/), [investors' concerns](https://money.com/stock-market-outlook-plunges-as-investors-tariff-fears-grow/) and recession fears. Meanwhile, his decision to reverse course on Wednesday sent the major indices surging. The lack of clarity has been reflected by the American Association of Individual Investor's weekly [sentiment survey](https://www.aaii.com/sentimentsurvey), which currently shows 58.9% bearishness compared to just 22.2% bearishness this week one year ago. For now, it’s important to exercise caution and maintain a diversified portfolio. Many unanswered questions remain, as demonstrated by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s use of the word “uncertainty” [16 times](https://www.federalreserve.gov/mediacenter/files/FOMCpresconf20250319.pdf) during a press conference following the Federal Reserve’s decision to leave rates unchanged on March 19. If only we had a crystal ball. ## In times of market volatility and uncertainty, Gold has performed historically well ### By diversifying your retirement portfolio with a Gold IRA, you can potentially safeguard your savings from market fluctuations and other financial risks, and enjoy greater peace of mind knowing that your funds are well-protected. Click below to start investing. [Invest in Gold](https://money.com/pr/l56a2684df33?ap_referrer=%2Fapril-historically-great-month-for-stocks%2F) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/19305/medium_414558a1-29d4-465e-b5d1-921febc39ed2.png) American Hartford Gold can help you take control of your financial future [Invest in Gold](https://money.com/pr/cdf8db27d320?ap_referrer=%2Fapril-historically-great-month-for-stocks%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/april-historically-great-month-for-stocks/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Investing", "item": "https://money.com/investing/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stock Market", "item": "https://money.com/stock-market/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "April Is Usually a Great Month for Stocks. 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