U.S. stocks shook off a weak start and ended slightly higher, enough to break a four-week losing streak. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1% Friday after being down for most of the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.5%. Stocks have been losing ground for weeks over uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. economy. A trade war between the U.S. and its key trading partners threatens to worsen inflation and hurt both consumers and businesses. Nike fell sharply as tariff and other concerns weighed on its financial forecasts. Treasury yields held steady.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP鈥檚 earlier story follows below.
Stocks fell in afternoon trading Friday, but the losses are softening enough to give Wall Street a chance to snap a four-week losing streak.
The S&P 500 fell 0.2%. The index is holding onto a 0.2% gain for the week, which would end a four-week losing streak.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 37 points, or 0.1%, as of 2:41 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%.
Technology stocks were the heaviest weights on the market. The sector has been at the center of much of the market's recent sell-off in a reversal from their market-driving gains throughout the previous year. The stocks are among the most valuable on Wall Street and have outsized impacts on the whether the market gains or loses ground.
Nvidia fell 1.2% and Micron Technology slid 7.6% for the biggest decline among S&P 500 stocks.
Stocks have been losing ground for weeks over uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. economy. A trade war between the U.S. and its key trading partners threatens to worsen inflation and hurt both consumers and businesses. Inflation remains stubbornly above the Federal Reserve's goal of 2% and could hurt the central bank's efforts to ease the rate of inflation.
President Donald Trump has set an to impose more tariffs on trading partners. It follows a series of other deadlines that have been set for tariffs only to be postponed, sometimes at the last minute.
鈥淚nvestors are confused, but there's a lot less panic infusing the market,鈥� said Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide.
Businesses have been warning investors about tariffs, inflation and growing uncertainty about the impact to costs.
Nike slumped 5.8% after it forecast a steep decline in revenue in the current quarter, blaming geopolitical dynamics, new tariffs by the Trump administration and a less confident consumer.
FedEx tumbled 6.5% after the package delivery company said it expects revenue to be flat to slightly down year-over-year and lowered its per-share profit guidance.
Homebuilder Lennar fell 4.1% after giving investors a weaker-than-expected forecast for new orders and average sales prices for the current quarter. It said , inflation, and waning consumer confidence are weighing on an already tough housing market.
High interest rates have been a key issue for . The its benchmark interest rate steady at its most recent meeting this week as it assesses the potential impact from tariffs and other U.S. policy shifts.
The Fed cut interest rates through the end of last year amid consistently easing inflation rates, but has been holding steady so far in 2025. Lower rates can bolster the economy, but they can also push inflation higher.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell has acknowledged that the economy remains solid, but stressed that uncertainty is making forecasting difficult.
A recent batch of economic reports on home sales, industrial production and reinforced the view that the economy is holding strong. But other reports on consumer sentiment and retail sales have revealed rising caution from consumers.
鈥淲e're in really pessimistic territory,鈥� Hackett said. 鈥淲hen everybody is pessimistic, that's when a tiny bit of optimism can move markets pretty strongly.鈥�
In the bond market, Treasury yields mostly held steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.25% from 4.23% late Thursday.
Airlines were under pressure. A fire at London鈥檚 Heathrow Airport, forcing it to shut down and for hundreds of thousands of passengers. Ryanair Holdings fell 1.9%.
Shares in several U.S.-based airlines were mixed. American Airlines was little changed, while United Airlines rose 0.7% and Delta Air Lines fell 0.3%.
Troubled airplane maker Boeing surged 4.2% after Trump said Boeing will build the . The company has been facing scrutiny over safety issues for years.
Boeing's rival in the defense sector, Lockheed Martin, slumped 5.9%.
Markets in Europe fell. Britain鈥檚 FTSE 100 shed 0.6% after a day earlier.
Germany's DAX slipped 0.5%. German lawmakers voted for a that will boost defense and infrastructure spending.
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Jiang Junzhe and Matt Ott contributed to this report.
Damian J. Troise And Alex Veiga, The Associated Press
