U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday, with the Dow hitting a new all-time high, as fresh data pointed at solid economic activity in the nation. All three major indexes ended in positive territory.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) jumped 1% or 426.16 points, to close at 44,296.51 points, closing at a record high.
The S&P 500 rose 0.3% or 20.63 points, to finish at 5,969.34 points. Consumer discretionary, industrials and financial stocks were the biggest gainers.
The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) rose 1.4%. The Industrials Select Sector SPDR (XLI) gained 1.4%, while the Financials Select Sector SPDR (XLY) added 1.1%. Nine of the 11 sectors of the benchmark index ended in positive territory.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 0.2% or 31.23 points to end at 19,003.65 points.
The fear-gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) was down 9.66% to 15.24. Advancers outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by a 3.2-to-1 ratio. On the Nasdaq, a 2.42-to-1 ratio favored advancing issues. A total of 13.49 billion shares were traded on Friday, lower than the last 20-session average of 14.65 billion.
All three major indexes rebounded on Friday to close the week on a high. Investors have been trying to assess a lot of things lately. Tech stocks, which have been driving the Wall Street rally, have been taking a beating over the past few sessions as investors have been shifting focus to more economically sensitive corners of the market.
This saw industrial and consumer discretionary stocks gaining big on the S&P 500 index, while the Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLC) fell 0.2%. Shares of NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) ended 3.2% lower, while Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) declined 0.7%. NVIDIA carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Investors are also trying to gauge the Federal Reserve’s policy move in its December meeting. Some market participants believe that the Fed will go for another rate cut while some feel that the central bank could pause its rate cuts.
Geopolitical tensions have also been a cause of concern lately, especially after the missile exchange between Ukraine and Russia, with Moscow issuing a nuclear threat.
In economic data released on Friday, S&P Global reported that its flash U.S. Composite PMI Output Index, which tracks the manufacturing and services sectors, rose to 55.3 in November, the highest level in 31 months, after a reading of 54.1 in October.
Separately, the University of Michigan’s final Consumer Sentiment Index reading for November rose to 71.8. However, it missed analysts’ expectations of a rise to 73.
All three indexes rebounded from last week’s losses after the postelection rally came to a halt. For this week, the Dow rose 2%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each ended the week up 1.7%.
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