U.S. stock indexes finished a fractured session on Friday, with sector performance dictating a split outcome across the major averages. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 0.10%, the S&P 500 rose 0.05% and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.22% at the New York close.
Sector-level strength in Utilities, Basic Materials and Industrials provided upward pressure on parts of the tape, while declines in Technology, Telecoms and Consumer Services weighed on overall market breadth. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on both exchanges, and volatility retreated modestly by the end of trading.
Index movers and notable performers
On the Dow, the session's largest winners included:
- Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) - up 3.32% or 2.03 points to 63.13
- UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) - added 3.10% or 8.82 points to 293.19
- Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) - rose 3.00% or 3.07 points to 105.45
The Dow's weakest constituents were:
- Visa Inc Class A (NYSE:V) - down 3.13% or 10.14 points to 314.05
- Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) - fell 2.27% or 5.94 points to 255.79
- NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) - slipped 2.23% or 4.16 points to 182.78
Broader market winners and losers
On the S&P 500, the top performers were led by semiconductor equipment and health-related names:
- Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ:AMAT) - rose 8.08% to 354.91
- DexCom Inc (NASDAQ:DXCM) - up 7.64% to 70.05
- Molina Healthcare Inc (NYSE:MOH) - gained 6.82% to 135.35
The weakest S&P names included consumer and travel-related stocks:
- Constellation Brands Inc Class A (NYSE:STZ) - down 8.06% to 149.28
- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE:NCLH) - lost 7.57% to 21.49
- NVR Inc (NYSE:NVR) - fell 7.27% to 7,507.40
On the Nasdaq Composite, several smaller-cap and biotechnology-related movers recorded extreme percentage swings:
- Algorhythm Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:RIME) - rose 232.87% to 3.48
- JIA DA CORP (NASDAQ:JDZG) - up 132.01% to 3.92
- Moolec Science SA (NASDAQ:MLEC) - gained 69.22% to 8.63
Meanwhile, the day's heaviest declines on the Nasdaq included:
- Rich Sparkle Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:ANPA) - down 50.05% to 31.13
- Mega Fortune Co Ltd (NASDAQ:MGRT) - lost 39.47% to 7.47
- Profusa Inc (NASDAQ:PFSA) - down 33.44% to 2.01
Market internals and record levels
Advancers outpaced decliners on the New York Stock Exchange by 1,915 to 809, with 100 issues unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 2,086 stocks rose while 1,283 fell and 188 finished flat. The session also produced several notable price milestones: Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ:AMAT) rose to an all-time high, climbing 8.08% or 26.52 to 354.91. Algorhythm Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:RIME) reached a 52-week high, up 232.87% or 2.52 to 3.48, and Profusa Inc (NASDAQ:PFSA) declined to an all-time low, down 33.44% or 1.01 to 2.01.
Volatility, commodities and currencies
The CBOE Volatility Index - which tracks implied volatility in S&P 500 options - eased 0.96% to 20.62 by the close. In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery were reported up 2.11% or 104.56 to $5,052.96 a troy ounce. Crude oil for March delivery slipped 0.02% or 0.01 to $62.83 a barrel, while the April Brent contract rose 0.21% or 0.14 to 67.66 a barrel.
In foreign exchange markets, EUR/USD was effectively unchanged at 1.19 (0.01% change), USD/JPY fell 0.07% to 152.66, and the U.S. Dollar Index Futures was down 0.10% at 96.75.
Trading reflected a market split in leadership across sectors and capitalizations. Gains in Utilities, Basic Materials and Industrials buoyed a portion of the market, but strength there was counterbalanced by losses in Technology, Telecoms and Consumer Services, producing the mixed index results at the close.