financetom
Market
financetom
/
Market
/
Equities Rise as Fed Officials Flag Macro Uncertainty
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Equities Rise as Fed Officials Flag Macro Uncertainty
Mar 21, 2025 2:15 PM

04:51 PM EDT, 03/21/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes edged higher Friday as two Federal Reserve officials said the economy faced a high level of uncertainty.

The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 17,784.1. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average inched 0.1% higher at 5,667.6 and 41,985.4, respectively. Among sectors, real estate saw the biggest decrease, while communication services led the gainers.

For the week, the Dow gained rose 1.2%, while the S&P 500 added 0.5%. The Nasdaq rose 0.2%.

New York Fed President John Williams said Friday the US economy is facing elevated uncertainty amid evolving fiscal and trade policies, though the current monetary policy stance places the central bank well to adjust to changing conditions.

"There are many scenarios that could play out, depending on fiscal and trade policies and geopolitical and other developments," Williams said.

Separately, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said the economy faces "a lot of uncertainty," CNBC reported. "If we can continue to make progress on inflation over the long run, I believe that rates 12 to 18 months from now will be lower than where they are today," Goolsbee reportedly said.

Earlier in the week, the Federal Open Market Committee decided to leave interest rates unchanged for a second straight meeting. Policymakers kept their federal funds rate outlook intact through 2027, while downgrading economic growth projections.

US Treasury yields were mixed Friday, with the two-year rate dropping nearly 1 basis point to 3.95% and the 10-year rate gaining 1.7 basis points to 4.25%.

President Donald Trump said there will be "flexibility" to his plans for reciprocal tariffs, which are scheduled to go into effect April 2, CNBC reported Friday. Trump, however, apparently opposed the idea of making exceptions.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 0.3% to $68.28 a barrel.

In company news, Nike ( NKE ) shares slid 5.5%, the steepest decline on the Dow and among the worst on the S&P 500. The sportswear giant late Thursday flagged revenue and gross margin declines in its fiscal fourth quarter amid tariffs and the company's ongoing transformation efforts.

FedEx ( FDX ) shares slumped 6.5% Friday, among the steepest falls on the S&P 500. The parcel delivery company late Thursday lowered its fiscal 2025 outlook as third-quarter earnings growth fell short of Wall Street's expectations.

Boeing ( BA ) shares increased 3.1% Friday, the top performer on the Dow. The plane maker has reportedly won a multibillion dollar contract to design and build a fighter jet for the US Air Force, beating Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) . Shares of Lockheed tumbled 5.8%.

Super Micro Computer ( SMCI ) shares jumped 7.8%, the best performer on the S&P 500, as JPMorgan upgraded the stock to neutral from underweight and adjusted its price target to $45 from $35.

Gold fell 0.5% to $3,027.4 per troy ounce, while silver lost 1.3% to $33.54 per ounce.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
US STOCKS-Futures slip following last week's rally; Jackson Hole in sight
US STOCKS-Futures slip following last week's rally; Jackson Hole in sight
Aug 19, 2024
(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window.) * Futures: Dow up 0.05%, S&P 500 down 0.09%, Nasdaq down 0.28% Aug 19 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Monday after Wall Street notched up its best week of the year, while investors looked ahead to...
Futures slip following last week's rally; Jackson Hole in sight
Futures slip following last week's rally; Jackson Hole in sight
Aug 19, 2024
(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Monday after Wall Street notched up its best week of the year, while investors looked ahead to the centerpiece event of the week - Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole. All three major indexes jumped last week as a bunch of economic data, including a consumer price index...
Nvidia Rebounds To Help S&P 500 Post Its Best Week In 2024, But Greed Index Remains In 'Fear' Zone
Nvidia Rebounds To Help S&P 500 Post Its Best Week In 2024, But Greed Index Remains In 'Fear' Zone
Aug 19, 2024
The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed further improvement in the overall market sentiment, while the index remained in the “Fear” zone on Friday. U.S. stocks settled higher on Friday, with the S&P 500 recording its best week since Nov. 2023. The S&P 500 gained around 3.9%, while the Nasdaq and Dow Jones gained 5.2% and 2.9%, respectively, last...
Estée Lauder, Palo Alto Networks And 3 Stocks To Watch Heading Into Monday
Estée Lauder, Palo Alto Networks And 3 Stocks To Watch Heading Into Monday
Aug 19, 2024
With U.S. stock futures trading lower this morning on Monday, some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are as follows: Wall Street expects The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. to report quarterly earnings at 27 cents per share on revenue of $3.83 billion before the opening bell, according to data from Benzinga Pro. Estée Lauder shares gained 0.3%...
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved