CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Dow fell nearly 750 points Friday. The fall comes as worries about tariffs rise for businesses and consumers. WCCB Charlotte’s Zane Cina talked to experts to find out what these declines mean for the average investor.
The stock decline that has financial experts anxious hasn’t seemed to worry Charlotte’s average investor. The nearly 750 point fall the Dow Jones saw at market close for the week marked the stock market index’s biggest loss of 2025 so far. WCCB asked a handful of Charlotte Uptown visitors about the dramatic fall. Not one of those self described investors was aware of the decline. North Carolina resident and long time investor Jose Cardenas says he focuses on long term investments and avoids eyeing the stock market on a daily basis.
“Investments that I have for the long term, they’re going up. So I’m still happy,” Cardenas said.
The Dow includes 30 companies like Amazon, Walmart, Nike, and more. Similar prominent indexes like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also felt major declines. The S&P 500 closed out at a 1.71% decline, its worst day in two months. The Nasdaq dropped 2.20%. Dr. Joe Sutherland, the President and CEO of Georgia based consultant, J.L. Sutherland & Associates believes these drop could be the first of many. “It certainly caught a lot of people off guard, but my message is, buckle up,” Sutherland said.
Sutherland explained that companies like Walmart have recently forecasted slower sales growth. He sees this as companies preparing for President Donald Trump’s impending tariffs and other political moves which he could greatly impacting the stock market. “The policy and tariff uncertainty is something that they are starting to see show up in their revenue data,” Sutherland said.
Cardenas and a few other average investors found in Uptown aren’t convinced yet that tariffs or any political moves made by Trump will impact their investing. “I truly believe that this is being used more of as a negotiation tool,” Cardenas said.
Washington financial expert Fred Whittlesey with Compensation Venture Group, SPC wants people to remain calm until the market opens back up Monday. He feels the dramatic drop of seen in the Dow and other indexes could be temporary. “The last time we saw a big drop, we have to remember that the next trading day, there was a rebound that completely erased the loss of that day.” Whittlesey argues that this decline could be the market adjusting as soaring highs seen in the stock market have remained common in the recent past.
Whittlesey did mention that the Chinese stock market had a relatively up day Friday, despite drops seen here in the United States. Stock market experts do recommend all investors remain patient and avoid any rash selling or buying until more information is made available.