New York (AFP)
Wall Street was losing ground on Friday after it opened higher, but investors remained optimistic at the start of one of the last sessions of the year.
Around 3:10 p.m. GMT, the Wall Street flagship index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, gleaned 0.06% to 28,637.91 points.
The Nasdaq, with a strong technological coloring, yielded, 0.22%, to 9,002.45 points, and the broader S&P 500 index fell by 0.06%, to 3,238.10 points.
The main indices of the New York Stock Exchange had broken their records Thursday, continuing their upward trend of the last few weeks and boosted by the good health of Amazon: the Dow Jones had risen by 0.38%, to 28,621.39 points, and the Nasdaq of 0.78%, at 9,022.39 points, exceeding for the first time the symbolic threshold of 9,000 points.
After starting in the green on Thursday, Wall Street was giving up some of its gains. This slight decline did not seem to worry analysts, who highlighted the upward trend recently observed in the equity market.
The major indices of the New York market have indeed crossed unprecedented levels on numerous occasions in recent weeks, taking advantage in particular of a calmer climate on the Sino-American trade front.
The United States and China confirmed in early December that they have reached a preliminary agreement, which has yet to be signed by both parties. US President Donald Trump has assured that ratification will take place very soon.
The trade showdown in which the world's two largest economies have been engaged for almost two years, with reciprocal customs surcharges, weighs heavily on global growth. ,
- "Santa Claus Rally" -
Friday's session also marked the third day of the "Santa Claus Rally", namely the traditional rise in stock market indexes during the last five sessions in December and the first two in January, at a time when trade is generally limited.
On the bond market, the 10-year rate on the US debt was down, standing at 1.877% against 1.894% the day before at the close.
Among the values of the day, Comcast dropped 0.09%. According to a Wall Street Journal article published Thursday, the American operator is in talks to acquire the free entertainment platform Xumo. NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of the cable operator, is indeed preparing the entry into service in April 2020 of Peacock, a streaming platform which will be available free of charge for the channel's subscribers, and will likely pay for the others.
Apple gained 0.47%. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, the Californian giant plans to acquire the specialist in LCD screens Japan Display (JDI), which is also in discussion with the Japanese group Sharp. In a statement, JDI said no decision has yet been made.
Boeing rose 0.31%. The American aircraft manufacturer announced Thursday the departure at the end of the year of its special adviser for disputes related to the two fatal accidents of the 737 MAX. Earlier this week, the group's boss, Dennis Muillenburg, widely criticized for his management of the crisis that Boeing is going through, was forced to resign.
© 2019 AFP