Stocks gave a lackluster performance on Friday as consumer sentiment unexpectedly fell and Netflix's (NASDAQ: NFLX) poor subscriber outlook weighed down the Nasdaq. For the week, the Dow and S&P 500 managed to squeeze out modest gains for the third straight week. The Dow advanced 2.3%, while the S&P 500 climbed 1.3%. However, the blows to tech giants throughout the week hindered the Nasdaq's growth, with the major benchmark falling 1% for the week.
The University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers' preliminary monthly report showed a drop for July when compared to June as a resurgence in coronavirus cases throughout the United States threatened consumer sentiment. The survey's index fell to 73.2 for July from a reading of 78.1 in June, shocking economists that expected the reading to rise for the first half of the month.
"Consumer sentiment retreated in the first half of July due to widespread resurgence of the coronavirus." Richard Curtin, the survey's chief economist said in a statement. "Unfortunately, declines are more likely in the months ahead as the coronavirus spreads and causes continued economic harm, social disruptions, and permanent scarring."
On Thursday, U.S. reported a total of 77,200 new infections, topping every previous record.
Here's how the market settled for the week:
S&P 500 Index (NYSE: SPY): +0.29% or +9.18 points to 3,224.75
Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE: DIA): -0.23% or -62.35 points to 26,672.36
Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: QQQ): +0.28% or +29.36 points to 10,503.19.
For Major Stock News, tech stocks were dragged down by Netflix's negative earnings, causing Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) to continue their performance losses. BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) shares jumped while State Street's (NYSE: STT) fell, despite the two reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings. Cruise stocks--Carnival (NYSE: CCL), Norwegian (NYSE: NCLH), Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL)--all fell again after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its no-sail order through the end of September for U.S. ports.
For Sector Performance, most industries concluded Friday's session in the green, with only Energy -1.52%, Financials -0.84%, Consumer Discretionary -0.67% and Communication Services -0.43% lagging behind. The industry performance gains were as follows: Utilities +2.28%, Real Estate +1.40%, Health Care +1.36%, Materials +0.79%, Industrials +0.55%, Information Technology +0.48% and Consumer Staples +0.42%.
For Commodities and Currency, oil prices remained broadly stable on Friday, albeit slipping a bit. West Texas Intermediate (NYSE: USO) and Brent Crude (NYSE: BNO) barrel prices both fell by less than a quarter dollar, with prices settling at $40.59 and $43.13, respectively. Gold (NYSE: GLD) prices surged due to the sustained coronavirus uncertainty, with spot prices rising 0.7% to $1,809.86 per ounce, while futures climbed 0.7% to $1,811.90 per ounce. Finally, the U.S. Dollar (NYSE: UUP) slipped again on Friday against other currencies, with the DXY Index falling 0.25% lower.
As the market heads into Monday, investors will keep a lookout for more coronavirus headlines. Quarterly earnings for companies like IBM (NYSE: IBM), Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) and Royal Phillips (NYSE: PHG) are also scheduled to release on Monday.