Toward the end of trading Friday, the Dow traded down 0.20 percent to 20,938.43 while the NASDAQ declined 0.07 percent to
6,044.95. The S&P also fell, dropping 0.21 percent to 2,383.87.
Leading and Lagging Sectors
Friday afternoon, the non-cyclical consumer goods & services sector proved to be a source of strength for the market. Leading
the sector was strength from Align Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALGN) and Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN).
In trading on Friday, financial shares slipped by 0.55 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included Greenhill & Co.,
Inc. (NYSE: GHL), down 11 percent, and SVB Financial
Group (NASDAQ: SIVB), down 8 percent.
Top Headline
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) reported
stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Thursday.
Amazon.com said it earned $1.48 per share in the first quarter on revenue of $35.7 billion; Analysts were expecting the company
to earn $1.13 per share on revenue of $35.30 billion.
Equities Trading UP
Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ: TBBK) shares shot up 28
percent to $6.47 after the company reported strong earnings for its fourth quarter.
Shares of Olympic Steel, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZEUS) got a
boost, shooting up 17 percent to $22.55. Olympic Steel reported a Q1 net income of $7.7 million, after posting a loss in the
year-ago period.
Cowen Group Inc (NASDAQ: COWN) shares were also
up, gaining 17 percent to $15.80 after the company posted upbeat Q1 earnings.
Equities Trading DOWN
FuelCell Energy Inc (NASDAQ: FCEL) shares dropped
33 percent to $1.08. FuelCell Energy priced its $15.4 million underwritten public offering of common stock and warrants.
Shares of Vince Holding Corp (NYSE: VNCE) were down
around 41 percent to $0.800. Vince Holding reported a Q4 loss of $162.1 million on revenue of $63.9 million.
Transenterix Inc (NASDAQ: TRXC) was down, falling
around 38 percent to $0.681. TransEnterix reported the pricing of $24.9 million public offering of common stock and warrant.
Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded up 0.33 percent to $49.13 while gold traded up 0.17 percent to $1,268.00.
Silver traded down 0.43 percent Friday to $17.26, while copper rose 0.48 percent to $2.6055.
Eurozone
European shares closed mostly lower today. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 declined 0.18 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index rose 0.30
percent, while Italy’s FTSE MIB Index rose 0.06 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX slipped 0.05 percent, and the French CAC 40
declined 0.08 percent while U.K. shares fell 0.46 percent.
Economics
U.S. GDP rose at an annual pace of 0.7 percent for the first quarter, versus economists’ expectations for a 1.2 percent
growth.
The employment cost index increased 0.8 percent for the first quarter.
The Chicago PMI rose to 58.30 in April, versus a prior reading of 57.70. Economists expected a reading of 56.40.
The final reading of University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index slipped to 97.00 in April, versus a prior reading of
98.00. Economists were expecting a reading of 98.00.
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