New York (AFP)
The New York Stock Exchange ended the last session in August in a disorganized manner, investors pausing after a month of nervousness and excitement of a market reacting to the trade tensions Sino-US.
Its leading index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, gained 0.16% to 26,403.28 points, while the Nasdaq, with strong technological color, yielded 0.13% to 7,962.88 points.
The broad S & P 500 index gained 0.06% at 2,926.46 points.
Over the whole month, the Dow Jones lost 1.7%, the Nasdaq yielded 2.6% and the S & P 500 dropped 1.8%.
The main New York indices, however, had clearly finished in the green the day before thanks to, among other things, the relative calm on the Sino-US trade front and the hope of a resumption of talks between the two largest economies.
"Investors reap their profits after several rises and before a three-day weekend in the United States," said Tom Cahill of Ventura Wealth Management.
Wall Street will be closed until Tuesday, Monday, September 2nd being a holiday in the United States because of Labor Day.
"New US tariffs must come into effect on September 1, which makes investors cautious," Cahill said.
A new tariff increase on Chinese goods is due to take effect Sunday in the United States, while Beijing has planned to impose new tariffs on 75 billion US imports.
Investors also reacted on Friday to contradictory economic indicators.
Economic activity in the Chicago area, which contracted in June and July, recovered unexpectedly in August with a sharp recovery in orders, according to the ISM Association's Purchasing Managers' Index .
In contrast, consumer confidence registered a record drop in August due to concerns over the trade war, according to the final estimate of the University of Michigan survey.
In the bond market, the 10-year rate was 1.50%, slightly higher than the previous day.
© 2019 AFP