Midway through trading Friday, the Dow traded up 0.76 percent to 25,151.18 while the NASDAQ climbed 0.95 percent to 7,278.68.
The S&P also rose, gaining 0.95 percent to 2,729.57.
Leading and Lagging Sectors
On Friday, the utilities shares climbed 1.74 percent. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included OGE Energy Corp.
(NYSE: OGE), up 5 percent, and NRG Energy Inc (NYSE:
NRG), up 4 percent.
In trading on Friday, industrial shares rose by just 0.2 percent. Meanwhile, top losers in the sector included KBR, Inc.
(NYSE: KBR), down 12 percent, and First Solar, Inc.
(NASDAQ: FSLR) down 7 percent.
Top Headline
Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) reported
better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter and increased its quarterly dividend from $0.125 to $0.1625 per share. The
company’s board also approved a $450 million buyback plan.
The company said it earned $0.76 per share in the fourth quarter on revenue of $2.2 billion versus expectations of $0.66 per
share on revenue of $2.1 billion.
Equities Trading UP
Vicor Corp (NASDAQ: VICR) shares shot up 41
percent to $26.45. Vicor reported Q4 earnings of $0.04 per share on revenue of $58.771 million.
Shares of Financial Engines Inc (NASDAQ: FNGN) got
a boost, shooting up 25 percent to $37.45 as the company posted upbeat Q4 earnings.
Trade Desk Inc (NASDAQ: TTD) shares were also up,
gaining 22 percent to $58.77 after the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its fourth quarter. The company issued
first quarter and FY18 sales guidance ahead of consensus.
Equities Trading DOWN
Marin Software Inc (NASDAQ: MRIN) shares dropped
18 percent to $7.57. Marin Software reported Q4 adjusted loss of $0.92 per share on sales of $17.7 million. Marin Software expects
Q1 adjusted loss of $1.36 to $1.28 per share, on sales of $14.3 million to $14.8 million.
Shares of Workiva Inc (NYSE: WK) were down 19 percent
to $21.05. Workiva posted a narrower-than-expected Q4 loss, but issued weak forecast for the current quarter.
.
Seven Stars Cloud Group Inc (NASDAQ: SSC) was down,
falling around 29 percent to $1.99. Seven Stars expects FY17 sales of $125 million to $144 million and FY18 sales of $280
million.
Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded up 1.34 percent to $63.61 while gold traded down 0.13 percent to $1,331.00.
Silver traded down 0.35 percent Friday to $16.58, while copper fell 1.13 percent to $3.2245.
Eurozone
European shares were mostly higher today. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 rose 0.22 percent, the Spanish Ibex Index dropped 0.55
percent, while Italy’s FTSE MIB Index gained 0.93 percent. Meanwhile the German DAX gained 0.18 percent, and the French CAC 40 rose
0.15 percent while U.K. shares fell 0.11 percent.
Economics
The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week is schedule for release at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester is set to speak in New York at 1:30 p.m. ET.
San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams will speak in Los Angeles at 3:40 p.m. ET.
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