US markets end mostly lower on Friday

20 Nov 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly lower on Friday on renewed Covid-19 concerns weighed on cyclical stocks as a brutal fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across Europe. Austria has announced a full national Covid-19 lockdown starting on Monday, while Germany has announced more restrictions on unvaccinated people. The potential of more European countries reinstating full lockdowns sparked worries the pandemic could once again weigh down the global economy. However, the tech-heavy Nasdaq benefitted from continued strength among technology stocks following some upbeat earnings news. Shares of Intuit (INTU) surged after the financial software firm reported better than expected fiscal first quarter results and raised its full-year revenue guidance.

Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks (PANW) also moved higher after reporting fiscal first quarter results that exceeded street estimates on both the top and bottom lines. On the sector front, Energy stocks saw substantial weakness on the day, moving sharply lower along with the price of crude oil. Crude for December delivery plunged $2.91 to $76.10 a barrel. Reflecting the weakness in the energy sector, the Philadelphia Oil Service Index dove by 4.6 percent, the NYSE Arca Oil Index plummeted by 3.9 percent and the NYSE Arca Natural Gas Index tumbled by 2.2 percent. A decrease by the price of gold also contributed to weakness among gold stocks, resulting in a 1.9 percent slump by the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index. Telecom, airline and banking stocks also saw notable weakness on the day, while some strength was visible among biotechnology and utilities stocks.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 268.97 points or 0.75 percent to 35,601.98 and S&P 500 was down by 6.58 points or 0.14 percent to 4,697.96, while Nasdaq rose 63.73 points or 0.4 percent to 16,057.44.

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