U.S. stocks edge higher; ending the week on positive note on Nvidia cheer

© Reuters.

Investing.com– U.S. stocks edged higher Friday, continuing the previous session’s Nvidia-inspired rally and ending the week on a positive note. 

By 06:50 ET (11:50 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 97 points, or 0.3%, S&P 500 traded 20 points, or 0.4%, higher and Nasdaq Composite gained 80 points, or 0.5%.

The main U.S. averages had closed firmly higher Thursday, with the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending at record levels, while the NASDAQ Composite surged nearly 3%.

Nvidia stock rises again, helping overall market

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) continued to trade higher Friday, hitting a $2 trillion in market value for the first time, having added $277 billion in stock market value the previous day, Wall Street’s largest one-day gain in history.

Nvidia’s blockbuster earnings saw investors largely trade past warnings from the Federal Reserve that interest rates will stay higher for longer- a notion that was further reinforced by stronger-than-expected jobless claims data.

Weak purchasing managers index readings also disappointed for February, as business activity appeared to worsening in the world’s largest economy.

However, these economic concerns have seen saw some caution creep back into markets, especially at such stretched valuations.

Tech megacaps including Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) – all three of which have AI products lined up – traded in an subdued manner after clocking strong gains during the previous session. 

Fed speakers in focus 

The economic data slate is largely empty Friday, but investors are likely to focus on further comments from Fed officials after Federal Reserve Board Governor Christopher Waller said on Thursday that he was in “no rush” to lower rates. A slew of Fed members have previously echoed this notion, citing fears of sticky inflation and strength in the labor market. 

Analysts at Goldman Sachs said that they no longer think the U.S. Federal Reserve will move to slash interest rates at its policy meeting in May following Waller’s comments, now expecting the Fed to roll out its first 25 basis-point cut in June.

Warner Bros Discovery slumps after quarterly loss 

Warner Bros Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) stock slumped 9% after the media giant reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss on Friday, as the media conglomerate battled a weak advertising market and the fallout of the twin Hollywood strikes on content generation.

Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) jumped over 34% after the used car company forecast core earnings well above $100 million in the first quarter.

Payments firm Block (NYSE:SQ) popped 20% after it beat quarterly revenue estimates and hiked its annual operating profit outlook.

Aerospace firm Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) rallied 35% after its Odysseus lunar lander successfully touched down on the moon, becoming the first private craft to do so and the first U.S. craft on the moon since 1972.

Oil set for losing week 

Oil prices retreated Friday, and are set for a losing week as concerns over sluggish demand largely offset bets on tighter supplies due to disruptions in the Middle East.

By 09:35 ET, the U.S. crude futures traded 2.2% lower at $76.90 a barrel, while the Brent contract dropped 1.9% to $82.05 a barrel. 

Both contracts are set to end the week around 2% lower as a string of weak economic readings from across the globe spurred more concerns over slowing demand, while expectations of higher-for-longer U.S. interest rates also weighed.

(Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)