Stocks Close the Week Higher, Bonds Hold Steady on Mixed Earnings and Inflation Outlook

‘The overall market sentiment remained cautious, especially with global tensions adding to the unease,’ says one analyst.
Stocks Close the Week Higher, Bonds Hold Steady on Mixed Earnings and Inflation Outlook
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 7, 2024. Richard Drew/AP Photo
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U.S. stocks and bonds ended up for the week but mixed performance of earnings reports and robust U.S. economic data led traders and investors to be wary of the direction of corporate earnings for the rest of the reporting season and the Fed’s next interest rate move in December.

The S&P 500 ended Friday at 5,864.67, up 0.85 percent for the week; the Dow Jones at 43,275.91, up 0.96 percent; the tech-heavy Nasdaq at 18,489.55, up 0.8 percent; and the small-cap Russell 2000 at 2,276.09, up 1.87 percent.

Panos Mourdoukoutas
Panos Mourdoukoutas
Author
Panos Mourdoukoutas is a professor of economics at Long Island University in New York City. He also teaches security analysis at Columbia University. He’s been published in professional journals and magazines, including Forbes, Investopedia, Barron's, IBT, and Journal of Financial Research. He’s also the author of many books, including “Business Strategy in a Semiglobal Economy” and “China's Challenge.”