Tech stocks are having a happy new year so far in 2017.
US stock indexes drifted mostly higher in late-afternoon trading Friday as the market closed out a solid quarter with the Nasdaq composite headed for another record high.
Though most analysts are bullish toward Alaska Air Group, ALK stock saw its price target lowered at Imperial Capital today. India's Sensex gave up 0.2 percent, while Taiwan and New Zealand rose.
Other markets: Asian stocks finished Friday's session on a largely weaker note, with the Nikkei 225 index marking its lowest close since February 1 at 18,909, and losing 1.1% on the quarter.
The S&P 500 index showed 20 new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 78 new highs and 16 new lows.
Energy stocks tracked moves in oil prices, which fell after a three-day crude rally ran out of steam. Utilities and other high-dividend stocks fell.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 69.17 points (0.33 per cent) to close the trading session at 20,728.49. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks picked up 3 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,385. NASDAQ 100 index gained 9.47 points or 0.17 percent to close at 5,439.74.
Embattled US Bank Takes Back $75 Million From Former Executives
The board's actions to remedy the problem were insufficient to one Wall Street critic, the Washington-based group Better Markets. The bank has also been calling its tens of millions of customers to ask whether they authorized the creation of those accounts.
CHINESE MANUFACTURING: Manufacturing activity accelerated in March in what the government said is a sign economic growth is stabilizing. The sub-index for production rose to 54.2 from February's 53.7.
"It's not just the USA economy, but we do see definitely improvement throughout the world", Cavanaugh said. "A bad meeting with President Xi would raise the prospect of a trade war", said Tim Condon of ING in a report. President Donald Trump's setback on his flagship health-care bill has cast a shadow on his broader fiscal agenda, while French elections could be a litmus test for the rise of European populism.
Investors took heart after the US Commerce Department revised GDP growth up by 0.2 points to 2.1 per cent for the final three months of previous year, due in part to more robust personal consumption spending. Consumer sentiment hit 96.9 versus an expected read of 97.6. The Labor Department said applications for unemployment benefits dipped last week.
OIL DEAL: ConocoPhillips agreed to sell most of its Canadian assets to Canada's Cenovus Energy in a deal valued at $13.2 billion.
CURRENCIES: The euro weakened to $1.0677 from $1.0691 on Thursday.
OIL: Recovering from an early slide, benchmark USA crude rose 12 cents to $50.47 per barrel in NY. CarMax slid 84 cents, or 1.4 per cent, to $59.22. Brent crude, used to price worldwide oils, shed 29 cents to $52.84.
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