Stocks lost momentum and headed lower during afternoon trading on Friday, as investors retreated somewhat after a strong rally led by major technology names. The February jobs report also showed a slight rise in the unemployment rate, boosting investor confidence that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates after its June meeting.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) trended near the flat line after posting another record close on Thursday, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose nearly 0.3%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) lost 0.3% after sharp gains the previous day.
Friday's nonfarm payrolls report showed the U.S. economy added 275,000 jobs in February, again beating Wall Street expectations. However, the unemployment rate rose to 3.9%, its first increase in four months. Futures on the three major averages were trading in the red numbers ahead of the jobs data.
The market received a boost this week as Chairman Jerome Powell told lawmakers that the Fed is “not far from” confident that inflation is in the right place for the central bank to start lowering borrowing costs.
And in a show of how the wind is blowing elsewhere, policymakers from the European Central Bank lined up to support interest rate cuts ahead of the summer break as inflation falls faster than expected. Meanwhile, Bank of Japan officials are said to welcome the idea of finally raising interest rates out of negative territory.
On the corporate front, Costco ( COST ) shares fell 7% after its quarterly sales overshadowed the earnings beat. Broadcom ( AVGO ) revenue beat and expectations of $10 billion in sales of AI-related chips failed to impress investors, sending the stock down more than 6%.
In commodities, gold futures (GC=F) continued to rise, with spot gold eyeing its biggest weekly jump in five months amid optimism about a mid-year Fed rate cut.
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