After turning in a lackluster performance early in the session, stocks saw considerable volatility over the course of the trading day on Friday. The major averages showed wild swings as the day progressed before eventually closing in positive territory.

The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 ended the day firmly positive, closing higher for the fourth straight session. The Nasdaq jumped 216.90 points or 1.3 percent to 17,382.94 and the S&P 500 (SPI:SP500) climbed 40.44 points or 0.7 percent to 5,525.21, while the narrower Dow inched up 20.10 points or 0.1 percent to 40,113.50.

For the week, the Nasdaq spiked by 6.7 percent, the S&P 500 surged by 4.6 percent and the Dow shot up by 2.5 percent.

The volatility on the day came as traders continued to keep a close eye on the developments on the trade front, with President Donald Trump refuting China’s claims that the two countries have not held any trade negotiations.

“They had a meeting this morning,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. “It doesn’t matter who ‘they’ is. We may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning, and we’ve been meeting with China.”

Several reports citing U.S. businesses also said China has exempted some U.S. imports from its 125 percent tariffs

In U.S. economic news, a report released by the University of Michigan showed consumer sentiment in the U.S. deteriorated modestly less than previously estimated in the month of April.

The University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index for April was upwardly revised to 52.2 from a preliminary reading of 50.8. Economists had expected the index to be unrevised.

Despite the upward revision, the consumer sentiment index is still down sharply from 57.0 in March and marks its lowest level since hitting 51.5 in July 2022.

Among individual stocks, shares of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) plunged by 6.7 percent after the semiconductor giant reported better than expected first quarter results but provided disappointing guidance for the current quarter.

Shares of T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) also plummeted by 11.2 percent after the telecom company reported first quarter earnings and revenues that exceeded estimates but weaker than expected “postpaid” phone subscriber additions.

On the other hand, shares of Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) jumped by 1.7 percent after the company reported first quarter results that exceeded expectations on both the top and bottom lines.

Sector News

Networking stocks turned in some of the market’s best performances on the day, with the NYSE Arca Networking Index surging by 2.4 percent.

Significant strength also emerged among software stocks, as reflected by the 1.4 percent gain posted by the Dow Jones U.S. Software Index.

Pharmaceutical and semiconductor stocks also saw considerable strength, while gold and airline stocks showed notable moves to the downside.

Other Markets

In overseas trading, stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region moved mostly higher during trading on Friday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index shot up by 1.9 percent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose by 0.3 percent.

The major European markets also moved to the upside on the day. While the German DAX Index advanced by 0.8 percent, the French CAC 40 Index climbed by 0.5 percent and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index inched up by 0.1 percent.

In the bond market, treasuries extended the notable advance seen in the previous session. As a result, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, fell 3.9 basis points to 4.266 percent.

Looking Ahead

While developments on the trade front may steal the spotlight, the monthly jobs report is likely to be in focus next week along with the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation readings.

On the earnings front, Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), Meta Platforms (META), Coca-Cola (KO), Chevron (CVX) and Exxon Mobil (XOM) are among a slew of big-name companies due to report their quarterly results next week.

SOURCE: RTTNEWS

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