US markets end choppy session in green terrain on Friday

18 Nov 2023 Evaluate

The US markets ended Friday’s choppy session in green terrain with marginal gains as traders seemed to be taking a moment to assess the recent strength in the markets. Optimism about the outlook for interest rates has contributed to the recent advance, as the latest data has shown signs of easing inflation. The data has reinforced investors' expectations that the Federal Reserve will refrain from raising interest rates over the next several months before cutting rates in mid-2024. The Fed's next monetary policy meeting is scheduled for December 12-13, with CME Group's FedWatch Tool currently indicating a 100.0 percent chance the central bank will leave rates unchanged. 

On the economic data front, the Commerce Department released a report showing an unexpected increase in new residential construction in the month of October. The report said housing starts jumped by 1.9 percent to an annual rate of 1.372 million in October after surging by 3.1 percent to a downwardly revised rate of 1.346 million in September. Street had expected housing starts to dip to a rate of 1.350 million from the 1.358 million originally reported for the previous month. The Commerce Department said building permits also shot up by 1.1 percent to an annual rate of 1.487 million in October after plunging by 4.5 percent to a revised rate of 1.471 million in September. 

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.81 points or 0.01 percent to 34,947.28, Nasdaq added 11.81 points or 0.08 percent to 14,125.48 and S&P 500 was up by 5.78 points or 0.13 percent to 4,514.02. 

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