On Friday, November 22, U.S. markets closed higher, with all major indexes recording weekly gains. Optimism was driven by robust U.S. business activity and expectations of interest rate cuts.

However, tech faced pressure as Alphabet fell amid antitrust scrutiny, and Nvidia slipped following a cautious forecast. Investors also weighed geopolitical tensions, including Ukraine-Russia conflicts, and anticipated key developments, such as Trump’s Treasury Secretary selection.

According to economic data, the S&P Global U.S. Services PMI rose to 57 in November from 55, while Manufacturing PMI edged up to 48.8 from 48.5. However, U.S. consumer sentiment dropped to 71.8, down from a preliminary 73 reading.

Industrials, financials, and consumer discretionary stocks led S&P 500 gains Friday, while utilities and communication services lagged.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.97% and closed at 44,296.51, the S&P 500 gained 0.35% to 5,969.30, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.16% to finish at 19,003.65.

Asia Markets Today

Eurozone at 06:00 AM ET

• The European STOXX 50 index was up 0.35%.
• Germany’s DAX rose 0.45%.
• France’s CAC gained 0.12%.
• U.K.’s FTSE 100 index traded higher by 0.12%

Commodities at 06:00 AM ET

U.S. Futures at 06:00 AM ET

Dow futures gained 0.68%, S&P 500 futures were up 0.51% and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.61%.

Forex at 06:00 AM ET

The U.S. dollar index fell 0.55% to 106.97, the USD/JPY was down 0.23% to 154.38, and the USD/AUD rose 0.39% to 1.5355.

Photo by Pavel Bobrovskiy via Shutterstock