US markets end higher for fourth straight session on Friday

19 Mar 2022 Evaluate

The US markets extended their rally for fourth straight session on Friday. The markets continued to benefit from recent upward momentum, with the major averages recovering from the sell-off sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Traders also kept an eye on the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war, as ongoing peace talks have thus far failed to yield a breakthrough. President Joe Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the conflict, with the White House saying Biden described the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia.

On the economic data front, the National Association of Realtors released a report showing a sharp pullback in U.S. existing home sales in the month of February. NAR said existing home sales plunged by 7.2 percent to an annual rate of 6.02 million in February after surging by 6.6 percent to a revised rate of 6.49 million in January. Street had expected existing home sales to tumble by 6.2 percent to a rate of 6.10 million from the 6.50 million originally reported for the previous month. The steeper than expected pullback came after existing home sales reached their highest annual rate in a year in January.

A separate report from the Conference Board showed its U.S. leading economic index rose by slightly more than expected in the month of February. The Conference Board said its leading economic index increased by 0.3 percent in February after falling by a revised 0.5 percent in January. Street had expected the leading economic index to edge up by 0.2 percent compared to the 0.3 percent drop originally reported for the previous month.

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 274.17 points or 0.80 percent to 34,754.93, Nasdaq surged 279.06 points or 2.05 percent to 13,893.84 and S&P 500 was up by 51.45 points or 1.17 percent to 4,463.12.

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