Following the significant pullback seen over the course of the previous session, stocks saw substantial volatility during trading on Friday. The major averages swung wildly back and forth across the unchanged line before eventually closing sharply higher.

The major averages showed strong moves to the upside going into the close, ending the session near their best levels of the day. The Nasdaq surged 302.86 points or 1.6 percent to 18,847.28, the S&P 500 (SPI:SP500) shot up 92.93 points or 1.6 percent to 5,954.50 and the Dow jumped 601.41 points or 1.4 percent to 43,840.91.

Despite the late-day rally, the Nasdaq plunged by 3.5 percent for the week and the S&P 500 slumped by the 1.0 percent. The narrower Dow, on the other hand, posted a 1.0 percent weekly gain.

Stocks moved mostly higher early in the session as traders looked look to pick up stocks at reduced levels following recent weakness, which saw the Nasdaq tumble to a nearly four-month closing low in Thursday’s session.

The Dow and the S&P 500 also ended the previous session at their lowest closing levels in over a month amid a slump by shares of Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA).

Buying interest was also generated in reaction to a Commerce Department report showing closely watched readings on U.S. consumer price inflation increased in line with economist estimates in the month of January.

However, the major averages pulled back well off their best levels and into negative territory in mid-day trading, as a meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy devolved into a shouting match.

The heated exchange came as Trump and Zelenskyy met to discuss a deal on Ukraine’s critical rare earth minerals in exchange for continued aid.

The back-and-forth, which also involved Vice President JD Vance, became increasingly tense as the leaders discussed Trump’s approach to ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Towards the end of the exchange, Trump suggested Ukraine would be left to fend to for itself if they are unwilling to reach a peace deal.

In a statement posted on Truth Social following the dustup, Trump claimed “Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved” and accused the Ukrainian leader of disrespecting the U.S.

Nonetheless, buying interest re-emerged in the latter part of the session, leading to the sharply higher close by the major averages.

Sector News

Natural gas stocks moved sharply higher despite a steep drop by the price of the commodity, resulting in a 2.1 percent spike by the NYSE Arca Natural Gas Index.

Substantial strength was also visible among banking stocks, as reflected by the 2.1 percent surge by the KBW Bank Index.

Semiconductor, retail and utilities stocks also moved significantly higher over the course of the session, while computer hardware stocks saw considerable weakness on the day.

A steep drop by NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP) weighed on the computer hardware sector, with the data infrastructure company plunging by 15.6 percent after reporting weaker than expected fiscal third quarter revenues and providing disappointing fiscal fourth quarter earnings guidance.

Other Markets

In overseas trading, stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region moved sharply lower during trading on Friday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index dove by 2.9 percent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index plummeted by 3.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the major European markets moved to the upside over the course of the session. While the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index climbed by 0.6 percent, the French CAC 40 Index inched up by 0.1 percent and the German DAX Index closed just above the unchanged line.

In the bond market, treasuries moved back to the upside following the pullback seen in the previous session. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, slid 5.4 basis points to a new two-month closing low of 4.231 percent.

Looking Ahead

The Labor Department’s monthly jobs report is likely to be in the spotlight next week, although reports on manufacturing and service sector activity, private sector employment and weekly jobless claims may also attract attention.

SOURCE: RTTNEWS