US markets end sharply higher on Friday

11 Nov 2023 Evaluate

The US markets ended sharply higher on Friday with Nasdaq settling over two percent, as traders shrugged off concerns about the outlook for interest rates sparked by remarks by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday. Powell said the Fed is not yet confident, rates are at a sufficiently restrictive level to bring inflation down to 2 percent and warned the central bank would not hesitate to resume raising rates. Markets initially benefited from a pullback by treasury yields. On the sectoral front, semiconductor stocks moved sharply higher over the course of the session, resulting in a 4.0 percent spike by the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index. Significant strength was also visible among software stocks, with the Dow Jones U.S. Software Index surging by 2.5 percent to its best intraday level in well over a year. 

Housing stocks also showed a strong move to the upside on the day, driving the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index up by 1.8 percent. On the economic data front, the University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index slid to 60.4 in November from 63.8 in October. The street had expected the index to edge down to 63.7. The consumer sentiment index decreased for the fourth consecutive month, falling to its lowest level since hitting 59.0 in May. The report also said year-ahead inflation expectations rose to 4.4 percent in November from 4.2 percent in October, reaching the highest level since hitting 4.7 percent in April. Long-run inflation expectations also increased from 3.0 percent in October to 3.2 percent in November, marking the highest reading since 2011.

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 391.16 points or 1.15 percent to 34,283.1, Nasdaq surged 276.66 points or 2.05 percent to 13,798.11 and S&P 500 was up by 67.89 points or 1.56 percent to 4,415.24.  


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