04:50 PM EDT, 05/02/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes rose this week as strong nonfarm payrolls and improving prospects for engagement with China to negotiate a trade deal outweighed mixed Big-Tech quarterly earnings.

* The S&P 500 closed at 5,686.7 on Friday, versus 5,525.21 a week ago. The Nasdaq Composite stood at 17,977.7 at the close compared with 17,382.94, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week at 41,317.4, versus 40,113.50.

* Industrials, which, along with retailers, are considered at maximum risk from trade wars, topped the sector charts, followed by technology and communication services.

* Beijing is considering solutions to address the Trump administration's gripes over China's role in the fentanyl trade, according to people familiar with the matter, potentially offering an off-ramp from hostilities to allow trade talks to start, The Wall Street Journal reported.

* "The US has recently taken the initiative to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China," Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Chinese commerce ministry. The statement added Beijing was "evaluating this."

* Meanwhile, nonfarm payrolls climbed 177,000 in April versus a consensus for a 138,000 increase. Gains for March were revised down by 43,000 to 185,000 and lowered by 15,000 for February.

* Meta Platform's (META) Q1 earnings and revenue climbed more than forecast, and Microsoft ( MSFT ) also reported fiscal Q3 earnings and sales above estimates.

* Apple ( AAPL ) CEO Tim Cook said it is "very difficult" to predict the impact of tariffs beyond June after the firm reported better-than-expected fiscal Q2 results. Cook expects global tariffs will add $900 million to costs in the June quarter.

* Wedbush Securities said Amazon.com ( AMZN ) offered cautious Q2 guidance as macroeconomic uncertainty and potential tariff impacts cloud its near-term outlook. The online retailer's shares changed little on Friday after Q1 earnings and revenue topped Wall Street estimates.