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US stocks rose on Friday, poised for weekly wins after an easing in US-China trade tensions. Investors also eyed President Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill, which failed to clear a key hurdle Friday, as consumer confidence sank.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) moved up 0.5%, coming off a fourth straight day of gains for the broad benchmark. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose 0.5%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) also gained nearly 0.3%
Wall Street is ending the week on a quietly positive note after the surprise US-China tariff rollback kicked it off with a bang and a rally in stocks.
The S&P 500 is now on track for a five-day win streak, having erased all its 2025 losses as an air of normality returned to the market. Investors have jumped back into risky assets, though some wariness has replaced those high spirits in the wake of Walmart's (WMT) warning of tariff-fueled price hikes.
Consumer sentiment fell in May as Americans grew more pessimistic about the inflation outlook, the latest University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey showed on Friday. The index came in at 50.8, its second-lowest reading on record, down from 52.2 for April. One-year inflation expectations jumped to 7.8%, the highest since 1981.
Meanwhile, markets are staying vigilant for the next major development in Trump's trade push, with a focus on fresh deals and hints of shifts in the thaw with China. The president said Friday that the US “will be sending letters out essentially telling" countries the tariff rate set for their imports within the coming weeks. His administration can't negotiate deals with all partners at once due to limited capacity.
Read more: The latest on Trump's tariffs
Also in focus was the vote on Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill and the complex negotiations around it. Despite Trump's calls for unity this morning, Republicans voted to oppose the bill, which promises big tax cuts seen as likely positive for the economy, delivering a setback to its progress.
LIVE 14 updates
Nvidia stock set for 15% weekly gain as trade news boosts AI chip
Yahoo Finance's Laura Bratton reports:
Read more here.
Bitcoin hovers above $104,000 per token
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was hovering above $104,000 on Friday. The cryptocurrency has remained relatively steady this week, as the overall market has climbed.
Easing trade tensions have helped the cryptocurrency rise in recent weeks.
Year to date, bitcoin is up more than 10%.
Gold pulls back amid Ukraine-Russia peace talks, easing trade tensions
Gold futures (GC=F) pulled back more than 1% on Friday as peace talks and easing trade tensions lowered demand for the safe-haven asset.
Gold was on pace to close out the week down more than 4% this week, trading near $3,170 an ounce, as officials from Russia and Ukraine began direct talks and the US and China continued negotiations.
The precious metal was trading near $3,180 per ounce as Russia and Ukraine began peace talks and investors digested US-China trade negotiations.
Despite the recent pullback, gold remains up 22% year to date, supported by strong central bank demand and inflows into physically backed gold ETFs.
Stocks waver, but major averages on pace to end week with gains
Stocks wavered near the flat line on Friday, but the major averages were on pace to end the week with strong gains.
As of mid-morning trading, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) was up more than 4% for the week,while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose more than 6% over the past five days.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) was up more than 2.5% over the same five-day period, as of 11:00 a.m. ET on Friday.
The following chart shows Tech, Consumer Discretionary, and Industrial stocks outperforming for the week.
Consumer sentiment hits second-lowest reading on record
Consumer sentiment tumbled further in May as the impacts of President Trump's tariff policies remained top of mind.
The latest University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey released Friday showed sentiment hit its second-lowest reading on record. The index slid to a reading of 50.8, below the 52.2 seen last month and the 53.4 expected by economists.
Pessimism over the inflation outlook soared again, as one-year inflation expectations jumped to 7.3% — the highest since 1981 — from 6.5% the month prior. Just four months ago, consumers had expected inflation of 3.3% over the next year.
Long-run inflation expectations, which track expectations over the next five to 10 years, climbed, too, hitting 4.6% in May, up from 4.4% in April.
S&P 500 moves higher for fifth day in a row
Stocks rose on Friday, with the S&P 500 (^GSPC) extending gains for five days in a row as investors digested President Trump's deals abroad and easing trade tensions.
The broad-based index edged up 0.1%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) hovered near the flat line. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) gained 0.2%.
Wall Street is on pace to close out a week of gains after the S&P 500 erased its post-"Liberation Day" losses, aided by the US-China tariff rollback, sparking enthusiasm over other negotiations to come.
Tesla stock rises after board adds Chipotle's Jack Hartung
Tesla (TSLA) stock rose 1% in premarket trading, putting shares on track for another week of 20%-plus gains.
Shares of the EV maker moved higher after the company added Chipotle president Jack Hartung to its board of directors, Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian reports.
Hartung will be the ninth member of Tesla’s board and will join the company on June 1. He will also join the board's audit committee.
Meanwhile, Tesla's April registration data in the EU and UK showed troubling signs of continuing demand weakness. Registrations serve as a proxy for sales, which Tesla only reports quarterly. Pras reports:
An unexpected theme is coming out of a turbulent sector: Stability
Airline stocks rose along with stock futures broadly in premarket trading Friday, as the sector has held up better than expected despite worries over waning demand.
Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban details one takeaway about the state of air travel in today's Morning Brief:
Read more here or sign up to get the Morning Brief in your inbox every morning.
Novo Nordisk's CEO to step down amid market struggle
Novo Nordisk (NVO) announced that CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen would leave his post due to declining share price and increased rivalry with Eli Lilly (LLY) in the obesity drug space.
Shares in the drug maker fell around 4% on Friday morning before the opening bell.
"The changes are ... made in light of the recent market challenges Novo Nordisk has been facing, and the development of the company's share price since mid-2024," the company said in a statement.
Novo Nordisk stock is down 22% year to date.
Reuters reports:
Charter Communications to merge with Cox in $34.5 billion cable deal
Charter Communications (CHTR) stock rose more than 6% premarket Friday after the mass media company said it would merge with Cox Communications in a $21.9 billion deal, uniting two of the biggest cable providers in the US.
The deal would value Cox Communications, which is privately held, at $34.5 billion, and the consolidated company would operate under that name.
The consolidation comes as more Americans cut the cord for cable TV in favor of streaming services like Netflix (NFLX), Amazon Prime (AMZN), and Apple TV (AAPL).
From Reuters:
Trending tickers: UnitedHealth, Applied Materials, Take-Two
These stocks are in focus before the bell on Friday. Check out our trending tickers page for more movers.
UnitedHealth (UNH): The health insurer's stock turned higher, up about 3%, on the heels of Thursday's 11% tumble. Investors are assessing its prospects as it reportedly faces a DOJ criminal probe and grapples with an abrupt change in CEO
Applied Materials (AMAT): The chipmaking equipment maker's second quarter revenue missed estimates as sales in China faced US export curbs. Its stock slid roughly 6%.
Take-Two Interactive (TTWO): Shares in the games maker slipped 2%. While its fourth quarter revenue beat estimates, its full-year earnings forecast fell short amid a delay to "Grand Theft Auto VI".
Constellation Brands (STZ): The drinks company's stock rose over 3% after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B, BRK-A) said it had more than doubled its stake in the maker of Corona beer and Robert Mondavi wines. Berkshire also exited its stake in Citi (C) and cut its holdings in Bank of America (BAC), but those stocks were little changed early on Friday morning.
Good morning. Here's what's happening today.
Cava stock falls amid earnings beat on strong demand
Cava Group (CAVA) stock fell 3% in premarket trading Friday after topping Q1 revenue estimates.
Reuters reports
Asian markets mixed as Japanese economy shrinks more than expected
Asia-Pacific equities opened mixed with investors digesting weaker-than-expected GDP data from Japan and bracing for a fresh wave of regional economic indicators.
Japan’s economy contracted an annualized 0.7% for Jan-March, worse than the 0.2% decline forecast by economists surveyed by Reuters.
The Nikkei 225 (^N225) edged down 0.5% following the drop in GDP.
South Korea’s Kospi (^KS11) traded flat despite a semiconductor boon in the region.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 (^AXJO) advanced 0.8%, buoyed by strength in the mining sector as iron ore prices held firm above $120/ton.
In Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index (^HSI) opened 200 or 0.9% down from previous close as sentiment remains cautious ahead of China’s monthly activity data due next week.
