Last Friday, the key US indices reported a lack of uniform dynamics, while they increased for the second week in a row. The maximum results were shown by the oil and gas, financial, as well as utility sector. The leaders of the decline were technology companies, as well as the healthcare and consumer services sectors. As a result, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.44%, stopping at a monthly high of 34,861.24 points. The S&P 500 index gained 0.51% and reached 4,543.06 points, while the NASDAQ Composite sank 0.16% to 1,4169.30 points.
The main favorites among the DJIA components were the securities of The Travelers Companies Inc (+1.92%), Chevron Corp (+1.81%), and International Business Machines (+1.62%). The fall list here was led by shares of Home Depot Inc (-1.62%), Salesforce.com Inc (-1.38%), and Microsoft Corporation (-0.14%). Coterra Energy Inc (+6.96%), Lumen Technologies Inc (+4.68%), and Kinder Morgan Inc (+4.21%) demonstrated the highest results among the components of the S&P 500 stock indicator on Friday. The leaders of the decline were the shares of Moderna Inc (-7.66%), EPAM Systems Inc (-7.39%), and Etsy Inc (-6.13%). The list of active growth among the NASDAQ Composite components was led by the securities Clever Leaves Holdings Inc (+143.04%), Nextdecade Corp (+32.22%), and Clarus Therapeutics Holdings Inc (+25.95%). The minimum results here were shown by the shares of MEI Pharma Inc (-65.15%), Icosavax Inc (-64.55%), and Honest Company Inc (-22.52%).
Stock quotes of the streaming service of movies and TV series Netflix Inc sank by 0.5% on Friday. The company acquired the video game manufacturer Boss Fight Entertainment to obtain a new source of income in the field of gaming. The capitalization of the largest low-cost airline in the United States - Southwest Airlines - increased by 1.05% on the information that the carrier plans to add a new category of tickets, which in the future can stimulate an increase in the company's revenue. The value of the shares of a well-known American software developer Salesforce.com Inc. decreased by 1.4%. It became known that in early April, the company will change its name to Salesforce Inc., while its securities will continue to be traded on the NYSE under the usual CRM ticker.
The cost of the retail chain of home goods stores Bed Bath & Beyond increased by 2.2% the day before. Earlier, the company's management announced the signing of a partnership agreement with investor Ryan Cohen and his brainchild RC Ventures, which owns 9.8% of Bed Bath & Beyond shares. As a result, on the NYSE stock exchange, the number of securities that increased in price (1677) exceeded the number of those that fell in price (1502). At the same time, the indicators of 109 shares remained unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, the quotes of 2273 companies declined, 1580 increased, and 153 closed at the level of the previous session. The CBOE Volatility Index formed based on options trading indicators on the S&P 500, fell by 3.97% to 20.81 points - a new monthly low.
The situation on the world stock markets remains extremely unstable against the background of geopolitical tensions in eastern Europe. As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalates, inflationary pressure increases and the potential for economic growth significantly decreases. According to experts, the recent rebound in the leading stock exchanges in the United States was stimulated not only by traders who bought securities on a large scale during the fall but also by the constantly growing inflation rate in the country.
