US markets end lower on Friday

01 May 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended in red on Friday amid profit taking after the upward move seen on Thursday lifted the S&P 500 to a new record closing high. A steep drop by shares of Twitter (TWTR) also weighed on the markets, with the social media giant plunging by 3.7 percent. The nosedive by Twitter came after the company reported better than expected first quarter results but provided disappointing guidance. Energy giants Chevron (CVX) and Exxon Mobil (XOM) also showed notable moves to the downside after reporting their quarterly results. Shares of Amazon (AMZN) ended the modestly lower even though the online retail giant reported first quarter earnings that far exceeded street estimates.

Meanwhile, traders largely shrugged off another batch of upbeat US economic data, including a report from the Commerce Department showing personal income skyrocketed in March amid the distribution of another round of stimulus checks. The Commerce Department said personal income soared by 21.1 percent in March after plunging by a revised 7.0 percent in February. Street had expected personal income to spike by 20.3 percent compared to the 7.1 percent slump originally reported for the previous month. The report also showed personal spending jumped by 4.2 percent in March following a 1.0 percent decrease in February. Personal spending was expected to surge up by 4.1 percent.

A separate report from the University of Michigan showed consumer sentiment in the US improved by more than initially estimated in the month of April. The report said the consumer sentiment index for April was upwardly revised to 88.3 from a preliminary reading of 86.5. Street had expected the index to be upwardly revised to 87.5. The consumer sentiment index rose from 84.9 in March to reach its highest level since hitting 89.1 in March of 2020.

Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 185.51 points or 0.54 percent to 33,874.85, Nasdaq slipped 119.86 points or 0.85 percent to 13,962.68 and S&P 500 was down by 30.30 points or 0.72 percent to 4,181.17.

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