New York (AFP)
The New York Stock Exchange ended the week higher on Friday, driven by an indicator considered reassuring on consumption in the United States and little affected by conflicting messages on the trade front.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the flagship index of Wall Street, rose 0.39% to finish at 27,875.62 points.
The Nasdaq, with strong technological color, gained 0.16% to 8,519.88 points and the expanded S & P 500 index rose 0.22% to 3,110.29 points.
Consumer confidence in the United States improved in November, contradicting analysts' expectations, according to the final estimate of the University of Michigan survey released Friday that highlights the improvement in household income.
The index of confidence stood at 96.8 points against 95.5 points at the end of October, exceeding the expectations of analysts who expected a slight decline to 94.9 points.
This figure is released at the end of a week overall positive for the large retail sector, several big names in the sector (Macy's, Target, Lowe's) having reported in recent days quarterly results higher than the expectations of analysts Wall Street.
"Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of the US economy, and the fact that they are so strong, particularly in the run-up to the holiday season, is significant," said Adam Sarhan of 50 Park Investment.
Investors have also remained attentive to the latest developments in the US-China trade war.
The two sides delivered contradictory messages on Friday over the possibility of ending their standoff a year and a half ago, with Donald Trump saying an agreement was still at hand when his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping said is said to be ready to fight.
Over the week as a whole, the Dow Jones fell 0.46%, as did the Nasdaq (-0.25%) and the S & P 500 (-0.32%).
On the bond market, the 10-year US debt rate stood at 1.771%, slightly lower than its previous day's closing (1.772%).
© 2019 AFP