04:56 PM EDT, 11/01/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes fell this week after mixed results from Big Tech firms and amid soaring government bond yields as investors weighed the inflation and nonfarm payrolls data ahead of presidential elections.

* The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 42,052.19 on Friday, compared with 42,114.40 a week ago. The S&P 500 stood at 5,728.80 end-of-play, compared with 5,808.12 a week earlier. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 18,239.92 versus 18,518.61 a week prior.

* Among the Big Tech firms reporting this week, Meta Platforms ( META ) , Apple ( AAPL ) , and Microsoft ( MSFT ) closed lower on Friday versus a week ago. In contrast, Amazon.com ( AMZN ) and Alphabet (GOOG), the duo that also reported, saw share-price gains.

* On Thursday, September's 0.2% sequential increase in the personal consumption expenditures price index was as expected, but it still trimmed the year-over-year rate to 2.1% from 2.3% in August. The price index rose by 0.1% month over month in August. The core PCE price index increased as expected by 0.3% versus a 0.2% gain in August. The year-over-year rate remained at 2.7%.

* On Friday, data showed nonfarm payrolls climbed by 12,000 in October. The consensus was for a 100,000 increase in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. October's gain was the weakest since December 2020, Stifel said. Gains were revised downwards by 31,000 for September and 81,000 for August.

* The jobs report leaves the Federal Reserve on track to lower its target rate by 25 basis points to 4.5% to 4.75% at its meeting on Nov. 7, Oxford Economics said Friday. According to the FedWatch Tool late Friday, the highest likelihood, 33%, is that interest rates will be 3.75% to 4% in July, implying a measured pace of reduction in the months ahead.

* Two-year Treasury yield rose to 4.21% late Friday, up from 4.11% a week ago. The 10-year yield jumped to 4.38% from 4.24% as bond vigilantes weighed the uncertainty arising from presidential elections and the economic data.