U.S. stocks ended mostly flat on Friday as investors weighed comments on geopolitics and the Federal Reserve from President Donald Trump, as well as digested quarterly reports from some major companies, marking the start of the earnings season. All three major indexes ended in negative territory.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) declined 0.2% or 83.11 points, to end at 49,359.33 points.
The S&P 500 slid 0.06%, or 4.46 points, to finish at 6,940.01 points. Communication services and healthcare stocks were the worst performers.
The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLC) lost 0.7%. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) fell 0.8%, while the Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB) declined 0.4%. The Utilities Select Sector SPDR (XLU) fell 0.5%. Six of the 11 sectors of the benchmark index ended in positive territory.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.06%, or 14.63 points, to close at 23,515.39 points.
The fear gauge, CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), was up 0.13% to 15.86. Decliners outnumbered advancers on the NYSE by a 1.19-to-1 ratio. On the Nasdaq, a 1.34-1 ratio favored declining issues. A total of 18.77 billion shares were traded on Friday, higher than the last 20-session average of 16.85 billion.
On the Nasdaq, there were 2,334 new 52-week highs and 2,719 new lows. On the NYSE, there were 423 new 52-week highs and 64 new lows.
Stocks fell on Friday following a winning session, as investors assessed Trump’s comments. The President said on Friday that he would prefer National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett to continue in his present role instead of having him as the new Federal Reserve Chairman.
Investors have been betting on Hassett to succeed Fed Chairman Jerome Powell after his term ends in May, as they see him as more market-friendly and who could keep interest rates low. However, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh has moved ahead of Hassett in the race lately.
Chip stocks gained on Friday for the second straight day. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM), which reported blowout fourth-quarter earnings a day earlier, rose 0.2% on Friday. The gains came after Taiwan and Washington reached a trade deal wherein Taiwanese tech and semiconductor companies invest $250 billion in production capacity in the United States.
Other chipmakers like Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) gained 2.5%, while Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) jumped 7.8%. Broadcom has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
