US markets end mostly in green on Friday

24 Feb 2024 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly in green on Friday. The early upward move reflected an extension of the rally seen during Thursday's session, which came on the heels of upbeat earnings news from AI darling Nvidia (NVDA). However, overall trading activity remained somewhat subdued as the day progressed, as a lack of major U.S. economic data kept some traders on the sidelines ahead of the release of several key reports next week. The Commerce Department's report on personal income and spending is likely to be in focus next week, as it includes readings on inflation said to be preferred by the Federal Reserve. Traders are also likely to keep an eye on reports on durable goods orders, new home sales, consumer confidence and manufacturing activity.

On the sectoral front, reflecting the lackluster performance by the broader markets, most of the major sectors showed only modest moves on the day. Gold stocks showed a strong move to the upside, however, resulting in a 1.8 percent jump by the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index. The strength among gold stocks came amid a notable increase by the price of the precious metal, with gold for April delivery jumping $18.70 to $2,049.40 an ounce. However, semiconductor stocks gave back ground after helping lead Thursday's rally, dragging the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down by 1.1 percent. Airline stocks also saw considerable weakness on the day, moving lower along with oil service and computer hardware stocks.

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 62.42 points or 0.16 percent to 39,131.53 and S&P 500 was up by 1.77 points or 0.03 percent to 5,088.8, while Nasdaq fell 44.8 points or 0.28 percent to 15,996.82. 


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