US stocks close out week at record high
The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.9%, both ending the week at record highs, while the Russell 2000 was up 0.5%.
US stocks caught a bid after the release of a middling nonfarm payrolls report for November, which seemingly cemented hopes for a rate cut at the Federal Reserve’s December meeting. Two-year Treasury yields fell about 5 basis points on the day.
Nonetheless, more S&P 500 constituents fell than rose on Friday, as was the case for every session this week.
Consumer discretionary was far and away the top S&P 500 sector ETF, gaining more than 2% with Tesla’s advance continuing to boost Elon Musk’s fortune.
Lululemon was the best-performing S&P 500 constituent, rising 15.9% after reporting better-than-expected earnings and boosting its full-year guidance. It was a similar story for another consumer-facing firm, Ulta Beauty, where surprisingly strong sales and profit figures fueled a 9% rally.
Utilities and energy each fell by more than 1%.
UnitedHealth was the worst performer in the S&P 500, down 5.1% to end a tragic week for the company.