Nasdaq rises as Dow, S&P 500 end lower
U.S. stocks closed on a mixed note Friday, with technology gains lifting the Nasdaq Composite while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 edged lower as investors assessed corporate earnings and the outlook for interest rates.
The Dow fell 269.23 points, or 0.56%, to finish at 47,916.57. The S&P 500 slipped 7.77 points, or 0.11%, closing at 6,816.89. In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite rose 80.48 points, or 0.35%, ending the session at 22,902.89, supported by strength in tech stocks.
In North America, Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite gained 0.65% to close at 33,695.76, while Israel’s TA-125 Index jumped 1.88%.
European markets delivered mixed results. London’s FTSE 100 edged down 0.03% to 10,600.53, and Germany’s DAX was nearly flat, slipping 0.01% to 23,803.95. France’s CAC 40 rose 0.17% to 8,259.60, while the EURO STOXX 50 climbed 0.51% to 5,926.11. The Euronext 100 advanced 0.35%, and Belgium’s BEL 20 outperformed with a 0.71% gain.
Asian equities mostly moved higher. Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 1.84% to 56,924.11, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.55% to 25,893.54. South Korea’s KOSPI climbed 1.40%, Taiwan’s TWSE added 1.60%, and India’s Sensex gained 1.20%. Indonesia’s IDX Composite led regional gains with a 2.07% increase. Malaysia’s KLCI rose 0.30%.
Elsewhere in the region, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 and All Ordinaries both declined 0.14%, while New Zealand’s S&P/NZX 50 fell 0.70%. Singapore’s STI Index posted a modest gain of 0.25%.
Other global markets also saw gains, with South Africa’s Top 40 USD Net TRI Index rising 1.14% and China’s SSE Composite advancing 0.51% to 3,986.22.
Trading volumes were generally light.
In currency markets, the U.S. dollar traded mixed against major peers. The euro and British pound strengthened, while the Swiss franc and commodity-linked currencies weakened.
The euro rose 0.26% to 1.1727 against the dollar, while the British pound also gained 0.26% to 1.3468, reflecting optimism around the UK economic outlook.
The dollar strengthened against the Japanese yen, rising 0.24% to 159.30, supported by interest rate differentials between the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan. It also advanced 0.20% against the Canadian dollar to 1.3836.
Meanwhile, the Swiss franc weakened, with the dollar gaining 0.10% to 0.7891. The Australian dollar slipped 0.04% to 0.7076, and the New Zealand dollar declined 0.21% to 0.5842.
Markets continue to navigate a complex environment shaped by earnings performance, monetary policy expectations, and global economic signals.
