Nasdaq jumps to steer Dow, S&P 500 higher as techs, rate-cut hopes revive

US stocks jumped on Friday amid a tech stock revival, as investors assessed every week of key data and earnings reports and eyed likely policy shifts under a Trump administration.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 1.1% while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 1.2%, coming off a losing day for the foremost gauges. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) placed on over 1.7% as Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA) shares nudged back into the green.

Markets have turned upbeat as investors take stock of recent days’ big bank earnings and inflation readings, which have resuscitated bets on interest-rate cuts. Stocks are on target for giant weekly wins after a significant rally on Wednesday, while the 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) pulled back to trade around 4.6% on Friday.

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Housing starts climbed faster than forecast in December, and US industrial production outstripped estimates. The information out Friday added to an image of strength within the US economy, buoying rate optimism.

Meanwhile, techs were staging a comeback, with Apple (AAPL) fill up 0.7% in afternoon trading after booking its worst loss since August. Chipmakers akin to Micron (MU) joined Nvidia in making gains, while Coinbase (COIN) was amongst crypto-linked names getting a lift as bitcoin (BTC-USD) continued its advance above $100,000.

Minds are also on potential policy upheaval on the last day of trading before Donald Trump begins his second term as president. Fears are that his plans for tariffs, taxes, and debt — as aired by Treasury pick Scott Bessent on Thursday — could inflame inflation. Inauguration day is Monday, when markets will likely be closed to mark the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

China’s economy, an adversary for Trump, grew greater than expected last 12 months, topping Beijing’s 5% goal after a stimulus blitz. But Asia stocks lost ground on Friday as investors weigh the potential hit from promised hefty tariffs.

LIVE 8 updates

  • Crypto rallies as Trump takes power

    Bitcoin bulls are back on top of things Friday, as the worth of the dominant cryptocurrency shot above $100,000 as investors anticipated further motion from President-elect Donald Trump to support the industry.

    Trump is anticipated to release an executive order, prioritizing crypto policy during his early days in office, in accordance with reports, in addition to appoint business-friendly officials to oversee digital currency’s continued rollout into the broader economy.

    Along with cryptocurrencies rising in value, several corporate players tied to the ecosystem are rallying off the news. Coinbase (COIN), the nation’s largest crypto trading platform, rose 5% Friday. MicroStrategy (MSTR), which continues to speculate heavily in bitcoin, gained 7%.

    Trump has also expressed interest in making a US crypto reserve, appointing a crypto czar and implementing other regulations to drive adoption. The professional-growth approach contrasts with what was widely seen as an antagonistic relationship between the Biden administration and the crypto industry.

  • Hamza Shaban

    Dow gains 400 points in afternoon trading

    The ultimate trading day of the Biden era is heading for muscular gains Friday as optimism over President-elect Trump’s inauguration, and the policy changes that may follow, conicide with impressive coporate earnings and a rosier interest-rate outlook.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 1.1% while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 1.2%, coming off a losing day for the foremost gauges. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) placed on over 1.7% as Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA) shares nudged back into the green.

    Stocks are on target for giant weekly wins after a significant rally on Wednesday. And the 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) pulled back to trade around 4.6% on Friday.

  • Hamza Shaban

    Stocks trending in morning trading

    Listed below are a few of the stocks leading Yahoo Finance’s trending tickers page during morning trading on Friday.

    META (META): Shares of the social media platform rose greater than half a percent Friday morning following a call from the US Supreme Court upholding the law that would see its rival, short-form video app TikTok, banned within the US. The TikTok ban would turn into effective this Sunday, Jan. 19, unless Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance divests from the platform.

    Novo Nordisk (NVO): The pharmaceutical company got here under pressure after a few of its medications were included in a listing of Medicare price negotiations in 2027. Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, were among the many names. Shares fell greater than 4%.

    Intel (INTC): Shares of the embattled technology giant surged 8% Friday afternoon as speculation circulated online that the corporate has turn into an acquisition goal, based on a report from SemiAccurate Friday. Intel stock has lost greater than half its value over the past 12 months.

    Coinbase (COIN): The nation’s largest crypto platform is being buoyed once more by surging bitcoin prices. The worth of bitcoin (BTC-USD) topped $100,000 again Friday following reports that President-elect Donald Trump is planning to release an executive order elevating crypto as a policy priority.

  • Hamza Shaban

    Novo Nordisk’s stock down 4% because the Feds prepare for a second round of drug price negotiations

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its second round of drug negotiation targets, a listing of 15 drugs under Medicare Part D, including Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) blockbuster GLP-1s, reports Yahoo Finance’s Anjalee Khemlani.

    Novo was trading down 4% on the news Friday.

    Diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss drug Wegovy top the list, together with a variety of others like Merck’s (MRK) diabetes drug Janumet.

    Read more concerning the next round of drug price negotiations here.

    It’s unclear if the incoming Trump administration will honor this list and the method or change it after taking office Jan. 20.

    Novo Nordisk currently has 55% of the GLP-1 market and has raked in $50 billion from the 2 drugs last 12 months in the primary three quarters alone.

  • Hamza Shaban

    TikTok loses Supreme Court battle to stop US ban

    The US Supreme Court has upheld a law that bans TikTok within the US from Sunday unless it’s sold to an owner not controlled by a foreign adversary, report Yahoo Finance’s Alexis Keenan and Daniel Howley.

    The ruling on Friday creates recent uncertainty for the Chinese app utilized by 170 million Americans, but may very well be a long-term boon for social-media rivals for ad dollars like Meta (META).

    The court sided with the US government’s argument that ties between TikTok’s parent ByteDance and Beijing presented a national security threat that empowered Congress to demand or not it’s sold.

    TikTok had argued it was entitled to First Amendment protections and that its proprietary algorithm was in truth an editorial expression that qualified as speech.

    The court’s decision likely leaves the fate of TikTok within the hands of Donald Trump, who promised to “save TikTok” and had asked the court to suspend the divestment deadline. The president-elect takes office on Jan. 20, a day after the ban goes into effect.

    Read more here.

  • Hamza Shaban

    Stocks jump as rate-cut outlook brightens

    A tech stock revival drove a jump on Wall Street Friday as investors took in every week of favorable inflation readings and impressive corporate earnings, shifting market sentiment back toward optimism because the Federal Reserve considers its rate-setting policy.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 0.7%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 1%, coming off a losing day for the foremost gauges. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) placed on over 1.6% as Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA) shares nudged back into the green.

    Markets have turned upbeat as investors take stock of recent days’ big bank earnings and inflation readings, which have resuscitated bets on interest-rate cuts. Stocks are on target for giant weekly wins after a significant rally on Wednesday, while the 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) pulled back to 4.6% on Friday.

  • Dani Romero

    Housing starts beat forecasts resulting from strong multifamily construction

    Housing starts rose in December, buoyed by a pickup in multifamily construction.

    Data from the Census Bureau showed that housing jumped 15.8% in December to an annual rate of 1.49 million, which was higher than economists’ expectations for an annual rate of 1.32 million.

    Single-family starts had a modest advance. Construction rose 3.3% to an annualized rate of 1.05 million, the strongest pace since February 2024. Meanwhile, construction for multifamily dwellings grew by nearly 62%.

    “Housing starts soared at the tip of the 12 months, but this doesn’t mean the country is out of the woods on the subject of the issues within the residential housing sector,” Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS, wrote after the discharge.

    “There still is just not enough housing within the country, and the development of residential homes stays historically depressed,” the economist added.

    So far, recent construction in 2024 was the slowest it has been since 2019, per Bloomberg. Despite the rise in construction, builders are coping with elevated mortgage rates. Freddie Mac said mortgage rates increased to 7.04% this week, hitting the very best since May 2024. Rates on a house loan are likely to follow US Treasury yields, which had been climbing higher following strong employment data.

  • Jenny McCall

    Good morning. Here’s what’s happening today.

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