US benchmark equity indexes closed higher Friday as investors weighed the latest economic data, including a report showing that the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge unexpectedly held steady last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.2% to 42,840.3, while the S&P 500 advanced 1.1% to 5,930.9.
The Nasdaq Composite increased 1% to 19,572.6. All sectors posted gains, led by real estate. For the week, the Dow dropped 2.3%, while the S&P 500 lost 2%. The Nasdaq shed 1.8%. In economic news, US consumer spending growth accelerated in November, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said. The Fed's preferred core measure, which excludes food and energy, was flat at 2.8% annually last month and eased to 0.1% from 0.3% sequentially.
Markets were predicting 2.9% and 0.2% growth, respectively. "Although a more cautious Fed will likely pass on lowering (interest) rates again in January, we continue to look for a move in March as inflation makes further progress toward the target," BMO said. Earlier in the week, the Fed reduced interest rates by 25 basis points and flagged fewer cuts ahead than projected in September. US consumer sentiment grew in December to its highest level since April, while year-ahead inflation expectations logged its first month-over-month increase in seven months, final results from the University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers showed Friday. "Broadly speaking, consumers believe that the economy has improved considerably as inflation has slowed, but they do not feel that they are thriving," Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu said. The US 10-year yield fell four basis points to 4.53%, while the two-year rate was little changed at 4.32%. In company news, Carnival ($CCL) swung to better-than-expected adjusted earnings in its fiscal fourth quarter from a year earlier.
The cruise operator's US-listed shares jumped 6.4%, among the best performers on the S&P 500. Humana ($HUM) has appointed Japan Mehta as chief information officer, effective in the first quarter, succeeding Sam Deshpande. The health insurer's share rose 4.8%. Tesla ($TSLA) was the worst performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, down 3.5%.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that the electric vehicle maker is recalling 694,304 vehicles in the US over a problem with the tire pressure monitoring system that may improperly inflate tires, increasing the risk of accidents. Novo Nordisk's ($NOV) US-listed shares tumbled nearly 18% after clinical trial results of the Danish pharmaceutical giant's investigative weight loss drug fell short of its own expectations. West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 0.2% to $69.50 a barrel Friday. Gold gained 1.2% to $2,639.70 per troy ounce, while silver increased 2.3% to $30.08 per ounce..