US stock markets went up slightly on Friday. This helped major indexes finish the week with gains. Positive company earnings and relief about tariffs kept investors hopeful. The S&P 500 rose by 0.3%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average went up by 143 points (also 0.3%). The Nasdaq, which is focused on tech companies and set a record on Thursday, increased by 0.4%.
Shares of Expedia and Gilead Sciences went up after both companies reported better earnings than expected and improved their future outlook. Treasury bond yields rose as investors tried to understand the corporate results and signals from the central bank.
This week was quite volatile, with ups and downs. The Dow fell earlier in the week, while tech stocks rallied strongly. On Thursday, Nasdaq went up 0.3%, but the Dow dropped 0.5%. Intel’s shares fell 3.1% after President Trump asked its CEO to resign, calling him “highly conflicted.”
Meanwhile, Apple’s stock gained 3.2% after CEO Tim Cook joined Trump at the White House to announce a $100 billion plan to increase US manufacturing over the next four years. Semiconductor stocks like AMD and Nvidia also rose because of hopes that US-made chips will be protected from new 100% tariffs on imported chips. AMD rose 5.7% and Nvidia climbed 0.8%.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% after the US agreed to fix a tariff issue on Japanese exports. Car companies led this rise, with Toyota up 3.5% and Honda up 4%. However, other Asian markets fell: Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.9%, South Korea’s Kospi went down 0.6%, and Australia’s ASX 200 slipped 0.3%.
In Europe, markets were mixed. Germany’s DAX dropped 0.3%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.3%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 stayed nearly the same.
In the US, futures suggested a steady start for Monday, with the S&P 500 and Dow up slightly. Analysts say the market is still very sensitive to big news. Stephen Innes from SPI Asset Management said, “Market momentum changes quickly—what looks like a sure win on Monday can fail by Friday.”
Read more: Nestlé India Announces First-Ever 1:1 Bonus Shares — Here’s What It Means for You
Concerns about the US economy grew after last week’s weak job reports, causing fears that tariffs might be hurting growth. But strong company earnings and hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates helped balance those worries. The Bank of England also lowered its interest rate on Thursday to support the UK economy.
Also See: SBI Q1 Results: Profit Up 12% to ₹19,160 Crore, Loans & Deposits Grow Strongly
In energy markets, US crude oil rose 16 cents to $64.04 per barrel, and Brent crude went up 19 cents to $66.61. In currency markets, the US dollar rose to 147.66 yen, while the euro weakened to $1.1639.
