U.S. stocks finished the trading session lower on Friday, with losses concentrated in the Basic Materials, Technology and Industrials sectors, sending major benchmarks into the red.
At the New York Stock Exchange close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.25% to record a new three-month low. The S&P 500 slipped 0.60%, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.93%.
On the Dow, Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) was the top performer, advancing 2.51% - a gain of 5.13 points - to finish at 209.89. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) added 1.82%, or 5.04 points, to end the day at 282.09. Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ) also moved higher, rising 1.45% or 0.74 points to close at 51.37.
At the bottom of the Dow, Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) led declines, dropping 3.25% - down 6.48 points - to finish at 192.80. Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) retreated 2.21% or 5.65 points to close at 250.12. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) gave up 1.58%, slipping 2.89 points to settle at 180.25.
Within the S&P 500, Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) posted the largest gain among constituents, rising 5.13% to 426.13. International Paper (NYSE:IP) rallied 4.56% to close at 37.28, and Blackstone Inc (NYSE:BX) climbed 4.55% to end the session at 106.77.
On the downside in the S&P 500, Ulta Beauty Inc (NASDAQ:ULTA) suffered a steep drop of 14.24% to 535.72. Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) fell 7.60% to settle at 249.28, and Insulet Corporation (NASDAQ:PODD) declined 6.88% to 219.84 at the close.
The Nasdaq Composite saw dramatic movers among smaller-cap and speculative stocks. bioAffinity Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:BIAF) led gains with a 98.22% jump to 2.12. Firefly Neuroscience Inc (NASDAQ:AIFF) rose 57.47% to 2.74, and Silvaco Group Inc (NASDAQ:SVCO) gained 52.42% to close at 5.03.
Conversely, some Nasdaq-listed names plunged: Immutep Ltd ADR (NASDAQ:IMMP) fell 82.57% to 0.48, Innovation Beverage Group Ltd (NASDAQ:IBG) lost 55.28% to settle at 1.10, and Creative Media & Community Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCT) dropped 44.31% to 0.63.
On the New York Stock Exchange, decliners outnumbered advancers by 1,744 to 1,004, while 72 issues finished unchanged. At the Nasdaq, 2,090 stocks fell and 1,252 advanced, with 198 unchanged.
Several individual stocks hit significant milestones during the session. Insulet Corporation (NASDAQ:PODD) traded down to a 52-week low, falling 6.88% or 16.23 to 219.84. Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ) climbed to a three-year high, gaining 1.45% or 0.74 to reach 51.37. A number of smaller issues moved to all-time lows: Immutep Ltd ADR (NASDAQ:IMMP) dropped 82.57% or 2.28 to 0.48, Innovation Beverage Group Ltd (NASDAQ:IBG) fell 55.28% or 1.36 to 1.10, and Creative Media & Community Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCT) declined 44.31% or 0.51 to 0.63.
Market volatility, as measured by the CBOE Volatility Index, ticked lower; the index was down 0.29% to 27.21.
Commodity and currency markets reflected additional movement. Gold Futures for April delivery fell 2.11% - a decline of 107.99 - to $5,017.81 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for April delivery gained 2.90% or 2.78 to reach $98.51 a barrel, while the May Brent contract rose 2.54% or 2.55 to trade at $103.01 a barrel.
In foreign exchange, the euro weakened against the dollar with EUR/USD down 0.83% to 1.14, while USD/JPY climbed 0.22% to 159.70. The US Dollar Index Futures were up 0.74% at 100.50.
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