US markets end choppy trading session mostly higher on Friday

12 Sep 2020 Evaluate

The US markets ended choppy trading session mostly higher on Friday as traders seemed reluctant to make significant moves following the substantial volatility seen over the past several sessions. Buying interest waned over the course of the session, leading to another tech sector-led drop by the broader markets. In spite of the lackluster performance by the broader markets, steel stocks showed a significant move to the upside. Considerable strength was also visible among housing stocks. Chemical, banking and computer hardware stocks also saw notable strength. Traders also looking ahead to the Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy decision scheduled for next Wednesday. The Fed is widely expected to leave rates at near-zero levels but could make tweaks to its accompanying statement. The central bank's latest economic projections may also attract some attention.

On the economic front, the Labor Department released a report showing consumer prices increased by slightly more than anticipated in the month of August. The Labor Department said its consumer price index climbed by 0.4 percent in August after advancing by 0.6 percent for two straight months. Street had expected consumer prices to rise by 0.3 percent. Excluding food and energy prices, core consumer prices still rose by 0.4 percent in August following a 0.6 percent increase in July. Core consumer prices were expected to edge up by 0.2 percent.

Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 131.06 points or 0.48 percent to 27,665.64 and S&P 500 was up by 1.78 points or 0.05 percent to 3,340.97, while Nasdaq fell 66.05 points or 0.60 percent 10,853.54.

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