The US markets ended mostly lower on Friday as lawmakers in Washington remain at an impasse over a new fiscal stimulus bill. The Senate managed to pass a temporary spending bill to prevent a government shutdown on Saturday, but the lack of a breakthrough on a new relief package has raised concerns among traders. Despite prolonged negotiations, Republicans and Democrats remain at odds over issues such as aid for state and local governments and unemployment assistance. However, selling pressure was relatively subdued as traders also reacted to more upbeat news regarding a potential coronavirus vaccine. The uptick by the Dow was partly due to a strong gain by shares of Disney (DIS), with the entertainment giant spiking by 13.5 percent.
On economic front, the University of Michigan released a report showing an unexpected improvement in consumer sentiment in the month of December. The report said the consumer sentiment index climbed to 81.4 in December from 76.9 in November. The increase surprised market participants, who had expected the index to edge down to 76.5. Meanwhile, traders are likely to keep a close eye on developments in Washington next week, although reports on industrial production, retail sales, homebuilder confidence and housing starts may also attract attention. While the Federal Reserve is also scheduled to hold a monetary policy meeting, the central bank is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged for the foreseeable future.
Nasdaq fell 27.94 points or 0.23 percent to 12,377.87 and S&P 500 was down by 4.64 points or 0.13 percent 3,663.46 while, Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 47.11 points or 0.16 percent to 30,046.37.
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