Forexpros – U.S. stocks finished Friday mixed to higher, buoyed by the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index, which came in better than expected for February.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed just shy of flat, down 0.01%, the S&P 500 index was up 0.17% while the Nasdaq Composite index finished up 0.23% on Friday in thin, lackluster trading.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s index on consumer sentiment came in at 75.3, up from expectations for a reading of 72.5.
New home sales figures came in stronger than expected as well, while surprisingly healthy German business sentiment figures coupled with falling yields at an Italian bond auction fueled the stock market as well.
High gasoline prices may slow the economy’s gains down the road, while corporate earnings have been hit or miss, which tempered moods in Friday trading.
Leading Dow Jones Industrial Average performers included American Express, up 1.27%, Pfizer, up 0.76%, and Chevron, up 0.69%.
Leading index losers included Bank of America, down 1.62%, Hewlett-Packard, down 1.55%, and Johnson & Johnson, down 0.98%.
European indices were largely higher.
After the close of European trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.62%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.57%, while Germany’s DAX 30 finished up 0.81%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 closed down 0.05%.
On Monday, the Gfk German Consumer Climate Index will be released, as will U.S. pending home sales.
Forexpros
