U.S. equity markets posted gains Friday, closing with positive momentum. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished the session at 44,176 points, representing a 0.5 percent increase from the previous day’s close.
The broader S&P 500 index saw a 0.8 percent rise, concluding the day around 6,389 points. Technology-focused Nasdaq 100 registered an even stronger performance, climbing 1.0 percent to approximately 23,611 points. Earlier in the session, the Nasdaq 100 briefly reached a new high of 23,619 points.
Trading activity occurred amidst limited catalysts following the implementation of substantial U.S. tariffs on a wide range of goods earlier in the week. Concerns were voiced by U.S. officials regarding the potential legal challenges to these tariffs, with speculation that funds collected could require reimbursement if the administration is deemed to have overstepped its authority.
In currency markets, the Euro weakened against the U.S. Dollar, trading at 1.1641 USD per EUR, equivalent to 0.8590 EUR per USD.
Precious metals experienced a slight downturn, with gold settling at 3,396 USD per troy ounce, a decrease of 0.1 percent. This translates to a price of 93.80 EUR per gram.
Oil prices also edged lower. Brent crude, the North Sea benchmark, closed at 66.37 USD per barrel, down by 0.1 percent from the previous day’s closing price.