Market News

Wall Street was closed on Monday for Presidents’ Day. U.S. stocks ended mixed on Friday due to strong earnings and economic data. While the Nasdaq rose, the Dow and the S&P 500 fell.

How Did the Benchmarks Perform?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) fell 0.4% or 165.35 points to close at 44,546.08. Within the 30-stock index, 20 components ended in negative territory, while 10 ended in positive zone.  

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.4% to 20,026.77.

The S&P 500 lost 0.01% to end at 6,114.63. Seven of the benchmark index's 11 broad sectors closed in the red. The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP), the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (XLU), and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) fell 1%, 0.4%,and 1.1%, respectively.

The fear-gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) decreased 2.2% to 14.77. A total of 14.4 billion shares were traded on Friday, lower than the last 20-session average of 15.0 billion. The S&P 500 posted 37 new 52-week highs and seven new lows. The Nasdaq Composite recorded 131 new highs and 83 new lows.

Strong Q4 Earnings Results

Roku, Inc. ROKU reported a fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted quarterly loss of $0.24 per share, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.44. Revenues of $1.2 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.48%.

Moderna, Inc. MRNA reported a fourth-quarter 2024 adjusted quarterly loss of $2.50 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $2.69. Revenues of $966 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.04%.

Consequently, shares of Roku, Inc. and Moderna rose 14.1% and 3.4%, respectively. Roku carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

U.S. Retail Sales Drop Sharply in January

The Department of Commerce reported that retail sales in January were down 0.9% compared with the consensus estimate of a decline of 0.3%. This was the biggest drop since March 2023, as severe weather, wildfires and auto shortages weighed on spending. The metric for December was revised upward to an increase of 0.7% from 0.4% reported earlier. Retail sales were up 4.2% year over year and consumer spending was supported by a strong labor market. The Fed is expected to hold rates steady, with market participants anticipating a sales rebound in the coming months.

Core retail sales (excluding auto) decreased by 0.4% in January but lagged the consensus estimate of an increase of 0.3%. The metric for December was an increase of 0.7%.

Industrial Production Rise in January

Per a report by the Federal Reserve, Industrial Production for January came in at an increase of 0.5%. The number for December was revised to an increase of 1% from the previously reported 0.9%.

January Capacity Utilization Increases

Capacity Utilization for January came in at 77.8, per a report by the Federal Reserve. The number for December was revised down to 77.6 from the previously reported 77.5.

Weekly Roundup

For the week, the S&P 500 gained 1.5%, the Dow 0.6% and the Nasdaq 2.6%.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Roku, Inc. (ROKU) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research