If you hadn’t checked the markets since January, you’d have avoided the anxiety many investors and headline readers experienced—because despite some startling volatility, the stock market has now completed a full round trip. The market is now positive territory for the year.
Over the last few months, the headlines screamed of an impending recession and trade wars, yet GDP growth is steady, and unemployment remains at 4.2%. The market’s swings were amplified by sensationalism, with every dip framed as a catastrophe.
Successful investors who tuned out this noise avoided the emotional toll.
As Warren Buffett famously said, “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.”
The market officially returned to positive territory for 2025 as of May 13, posting a positive total return year-to-date. This measured comeback followed a rollercoaster ride: early-year optimism gave way to a drastic slide due to heightened US-China trade tensions, with the index plunging as much as -19% on April 21st.
For fundamentally focused investors, this year so far is a powerful reminder: if you managed to block out short-term market noise, you missed the emotional rollercoaster but kept the ride’s benefits. Neither the sharp drops nor the breathless rebounds matter nearly as much as sticking with well-chosen investments over time. Market headlines and pundit predictions will always generate anxiety AND many times will be wrong.
Some of the largest tech companies Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft, and Tesla—have been central to this narrative. Despite large declines beginning in late February and continuing through mid-April and the subsequent recovery, highlight significant opportunities for investors who were comfortable to capitalize on the over sensationalized economic conditions.
Here’s a look at 5 large technology companies and their performance from their April 2025 lows to May 14:
- Tesla: Up 50%, fueled by record EV deliveries and optimism around autonomous driving technology.
- Nvidia: Up 34%, driven by insatiable demand for AI chips and data center solutions.
- Meta: Up 35%, bolstered by robust ad revenue and advancements in AI-driven content moderation.
- Amazon: Up 26%, with AWS growth and e-commerce strength offsetting regulatory concerns.
- Microsoft: Up 25%, propelled by Azure’s cloud dominance and AI integration across its ecosystem.
What about companies outside of technology?
- American Express: Up 25% from its low (and Warren Buffett owns over 21% of the company),
- Capital One: Up 22%
- Charles Schwab: Up 15%
- Mastercard and JPMorgan: Up 13%
Technologies dominance and many other well-known and well-run companies have already produced incredible returns for investors who were willing to stay sane amid media hysteria.
What does this mean?
It means focusing on fundamentals—earnings growth, cash flow, and innovation—rather than reacting to daily swings and what the media says.
For savvy investors, 2025’s volatility was an opportunity to buy amazing companies and capitalize on their rebound.
-Paul R. Rossi, CFA