New York (AFP)

Wall Street hesitated Friday at the start of the session in a market scrutinizing the development of the health situation in the United States and preparing for the publication of numerous quarterly results from companies.

Around 1:50 p.m. GMT, its flagship index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, rose by 0.20% to 25,756.60 points.

The Nasdaq, with a strong technological coloring, yielded 0.42% to 10,503.43 points.

The broad S&P 500 index fell 0.03% to 3,150.95 points.

The New York Stock Exchange ended without clear direction Thursday, in a market supported by its technological giants but thwarted by the number of new coronavirus infections in the United States and its possible consequences on the economy of the country: the Dow Jones had given way 1.39% while the Nasdaq rose 0.53%, reaching a new record.

"It seems that investors want to move away from the concept of risk as we approach a weekend where coronavirus cases have continued to escalate, heightening fears about the economic recovery", notes JJ Kinahan, head of market strategy for TD Ameritrade.

"They may also be cautious as the earnings season is in full swing next week and corporate profits are expected to be severely affected by the consequences of the coronavirus," said Kinahan.

Major US banks, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, are due to report on their quarterly health check next week.

Delta Air Lines and Netflix will be among the other big names on Wall Street to publish their revenues and profits between April and June.

In addition, world public debt will reach a historic peak this year to represent 101.5% of world GDP, more than after World War II, two officials of the International Monetary Fund pointed out in an article by blog published Friday.

The authors of the article, however, felt that governments should be careful not to cut spending on the economy too early or risk jeopardizing the recovery.

On the bond market, the 10-year rate of American debt fell to 0.5939%, against 0.6135% Thursday evening.

© 2020 AFP