U.S. stock markets ended trading higher on Friday, with the Technology, Consumer Goods and Basic Materials sectors providing the bulk of the upside that lifted benchmark indexes.
At the New York Stock Exchange close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.02%. The S&P 500 advanced 0.84%, and the NASDAQ Composite climbed 1.71%.
Notable performers on the Dow
On the Dow, Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) was the session's strongest performer, finishing up 4.79% or 4.41 points to close at 96.57. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) added 2.77% or 10.24 points to end the day at 379.98. Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) rose 2.75% or 6.36 points to close at 237.39.
The laggards on the blue-chip index included McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD), which fell 2.80% or 7.95 points to 275.75 at the close. Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) declined 2.43% or 4.52 points to finish at 181.82, while Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) slipped 1.61% or 5.19 points to 317.45.
S&P 500 movers
Within the S&P 500, Akamai Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:AKAM) led gains, jumping 26.62% to 147.75. Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) climbed 15.49% to 746.81, and Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) rose 13.93% to close at 124.90.
On the downside, Mettler-Toledo International Inc (NYSE:MTD) fell 14.77% to 1,124.46. Motorola Solutions Inc (NYSE:MSI) declined 11.36% to 383.99, and Expedia Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) dropped 9.02% to 229.98 at the close.
Top and bottom names on the Nasdaq Composite
Olenox Industries Inc (NASDAQ:OLOX) registered a dramatic move, rising 893.42% to 4.53. Antelope Enterprise Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:AEHL) climbed 135.34% to 1.20, and JStar Holding Co Ltd (NASDAQ:YMAT) advanced 104.31% to 0.49.
The weakest Nasdaq names included PomDoctor Ltd ADR (NASDAQ:POM), which plunged 85.88% to 0.08. Republic Power Group Ltd (NASDAQ:RPGL) fell 63.70% to 0.83, and Forward Air Corporation (NASDAQ:FWRD) dropped 43.08% to 9.87.
Market breadth and index-level developments
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by 1,496 to 1,233, with 91 stocks unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 1,715 issues rose while 1,665 declined, and 162 finished unchanged.
Several stocks closed at notable technical milestones. Akamai reached five-year highs, gaining 26.62% or 31.06 to 147.75. Micron and Intel each rose to all-time highs, with Micron adding 15.49% or 100.18 to 746.81 and Intel up 13.93% or 15.28 to 124.90. Cisco also reached an all-time high, rising 4.79% or 4.41 to 96.57. Conversely, McDonald’s fell to 52-week lows, down 2.80% or 7.95 to 275.75. Olenox moved to five-year lows despite its large percentage gain, up 893.42% or 4.07 to 4.53. PomDoctor recorded an all-time low after its 85.88% drop. Forward Air fell to five-year lows after a 43.08% decline.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures implied volatility for S&P 500 options, rose 0.59% to 17.18.
Commodities and currencies
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery gained 0.33% or 15.45, settling at $4,726.35 per troy ounce. Crude oil for June delivery rose 0.05% or 0.05 to $94.86 a barrel, while the July Brent contract advanced 0.57% or 0.57 to trade at $100.63 a barrel.
On the currency front, the euro strengthened versus the dollar with EUR/USD up 0.52% to 1.18, while USD/JPY was lower by 0.12% at 156.70. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.22% to 97.73.
Context on move sizes and sector impacts
Friday's session showed disproportionate strength in a subset of technology names and other sectors that pushed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq higher, even as the Dow finished roughly flat. Large percentage moves in smaller-cap and micro-cap stocks produced extreme session-level winners and losers on the Nasdaq, exemplified by the triple- and quadruple-digit percentage moves in some names. Investors also saw notable single-stock volatility in industrial and consumer-related large caps, as evidenced by moves in Boeing, UnitedHealth and McDonald’s.
Trading patterns indicated that while many major averages rose, individual-stock dispersion was high, with both multi-year highs and lows recorded in the same session.
Bottom line
U.S. markets closed the week with gains across the major indexes, led by technology-related strength and supported by select consumer and materials names. Breadth was positive on both principal exchanges, and the session included a mix of outsized single-stock gains and steep declines. Commodity and currency markets posted modest changes, and implied equity volatility edged higher.