US markets end mostly in green on Friday

13 Jan 2024 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly higher on Friday after producer prices in the U.S. unexpectedly edged slightly lower in the month of December, according to a report released by the Labor Department. The Labor Department said its producer price index for final demand slipped by 0.1 percent in December, matching a revised dip in November. Street had expected producer prices to inch up by 0.1 percent compared to the unchanged reading originally reported for the previous month. The modest decrease in producer prices partly reflected anther steep drop in energy prices, which tumbled by 1.2 percent in December after plunging by 2.4 percent in November. The report said food prices also slid by 0.9 percent in December after climbing by 0.7 percent in the previous month. The decrease in food and energy prices contributed to a 0.4 percent drop in prices for final demand goods, although excluding food and energy prices, prices for final demand goods were unchanged.

However, a steep drop in UnitedHealth (UNH) weighed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, with the health insurance giant tumbling by 3.4 percent despite reporting fourth quarter results that beat street estimates on both the top and bottom lines. Financial giants Bank of America (BAC), Wells Fargo (WFC) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) also moved to the downside after reporting their quarterly results, while Citigroup (C) moved higher over the course of the session. On the sectoral front, airline stocks showed a substantial move to the downside on the day, resulting in a 4.4 percent nosedive by the NYSE Arca Airline Index. Delta Air Lines (DAL) led the sector lower, plummeting by 9.0 percent despite reporting fourth quarter earnings that exceeded analyst estimates. Considerable weakness was also visible among housing and banking stocks, with the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index and the KBW Bank Index falling by 1.2 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.

Nasdaq added 2.58 points or 0.02 to 14,972.76 and S&P 500 was up by 3.59 points 0.08 percent to 4,783.83, while Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 118.04 points or 0.31 percent to 37,592.98. 


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