Stocks finished higher Friday, amid surging tech stocks and the ever-evolving tariff situation.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.05%, or 20 points to end the session at 40,113.50, while the S&P 500 gained 0.74% to close at 5,525.21, marking its longest winning streak since January.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 1.26% to finish the day at 17,282.94.
Alphabet, Tesla, and Facebook parent Meta Platforms all posted gains.
The major averages rose on the week, notching their second positive week out of three, CNBC reported.
The S&P 500 rose 4.6%, while the Nasdaq climbed 6.7%. The Dow has underperformed but still cinched a one-week advance of 2.5%.
With these latest gains, Nasdaq is now slightly positive for the month, but the S&P 500 is down 1.5% month to date. The Dow has fallen 4.5% so far in April.
3:20 p.m. ET
Stocks were trying to finish higher for a fourth straight day despite a report on consumer confidence suggested Americans are increasingly worried about the state of the economy now and in the future.
Tech stocks were leading the effort to lift the market generally.
Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was fighting to go positive. At 3.20 p.m., however, the index was up slightly as 40,101.
Nvidia (NVDA) and Merck (MRK) were the leaders with small gains.
The 10-year Treasury yield, a key determinant of mortgage rates, was at 4.27%, down from 4.325% on Thursday. Mortgage rates were at just under 7%, according to Mortgage News Daily.
Crude oil was off 87 cents to $61.92 a barrel. There were worries that a potential thaw in U.S-China trade relations could lead to greater global oil supplies.
Boosting the Nasdaq were consumer discretionary stocks such as Tesla (TSLA) , up 7.2% to $278.02. Tesla, up 17.5% this week, has risen more than 27% from its April 8 close of $221.86.
But remember: The shares are down 42% from their 52-week high.
Communications stocks such as Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL) and Facebook-parent Meta Platforms (META) were boosting the giant-tech universe of stocks.
Alphabet shares were up 2.3% to $162.92 at 11 a.m. If the gain holds, Alphabet's loss for the year — 15.9% as of Thursday's close — would drop to 13.9%.
Foreign investors sell U.S. stocks: Report
Foreign investors have sold $63 billion of US equities since the start of March, Goldman Sachs strategists estimate.
The report, as Bloomberg News noted, noted that the data from high-frequency fund flows suggest that European investors have been driving the selling, while other regions have continued to buy US stocks.
The selling is a potential risk to the U.S. stock market. "Foreign investors entered 2025 with a record 18% ownership share of US equities,” Goldman Sachs' portfolio strategy team led by Daniel Chavez wrote in a note to clients.
Since 1980, there have been 10 other instances of substantial selling. The U.S. market has been able to withstand the selling in 7 selling bouts. The three times when the selling affected U.S. markets were 1987, 1990 and 2022.
The three years cited had big downside events:
The stock-market crash in 1987.
The Gulf War in 1990.
In 2022, high inflation and soaring oil prices caused the Federal Reserve to boost interest rates sharply.
Survey: Consumers are worried
Dragging on markets was the final look at consumer attitudes in April by the University of Michigan. The Survey of Consumers report showed consumer sentiment fell for a fourth straight month,
The decline in current conditions was modest, but expectations have fallen 32% since January. The three-month decline is the steepest since the 1990 recession, wrote Joanne Hsu, director of the survey.
The deterioration was strongest among middle-income families, but Hsu noted, "expectations worsened for vast swaths of the population, across age, education, income and political affiliation."
While alarming, the question is whether the worries will translate into actual trimming of spending in a broad way. The New York Times reported Thursday afternoon that consumers already are changing their habits. They're spending less on snacks, forcing beverage-and-snack giant PepsiCo (PEP) to cut its profit guidance for the year.
Indexes look at a cool open
9:10 a.m. ET
Stocks look to open lower on Friday as traders continue to worry about trade disputes and earnings.
A lower open does not necessarily mean stocks will end the day lower. Early unease on Thursday was followed by a big rally in the afternoon.
Moreover, surprisingly strong results from Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL) on Thursday cheered investors. The shares were up 3.8% to $165.44 ahead of the open.
If the premarket price holds, Alphabet's loss for the year — 15.9% as of Thursday's close — would drop to 12.6%.
Ahead of the open, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index was looking at a small loss. The Nasdaq Composite Index was signaling a 30-point loss. The Dow Jones industrials were looking at a 134-point fall.
The 10-year Treasury yield, a key determinant of mortgage rates, was at 4.28%, down from 4.325% on Thursday.
Crude oil was off 89 cents to $61.90 a barrel as worries build that a potential thaw in U.S,-trade relations weighed on markets.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Choppy investing environment
While Alphabet's earnings delighted many, others disappointed.
Intel (INTC) was off 7% premarket to $21.49 on a weak business outlook. The chip maker has been struggling to find a niche in the world of artificial intelligence.
Footwear company Skechers (SKX) was down 5.6% to $47.65 after the company withdrew its guidance because of tariff concerns.
Many airlines have withdrawn guidance because of falling domestic bookings, and worries foreign travel to the U.S. will fall this year.
Getting buzz today was a Time magazine interview with President Donald Trump. The interview took place on Tuesday.
Trump claimed the administration has cut 200 trade deals, although he did not offer details on which countries are involved. Announcements might come in three or four weeks.
