New York (AFP)

The New York Stock Exchange closed lower on Friday, after records the day before, during a session marked by increased volatility due to the quarterly day of the Four Witches.

The flagship index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, closed at 30,179.05 points, dropping 0.41%.

The Nasdaq, with technological coloring, dropped 0.07% to 12,755.64 points after losing up to 0.80% earlier in the session.

The broader S&P 500 index concluded down 0.35% to 3,709.41 points.

The day of the Four Witches corresponds to the expiration of several contracts on financial products, which generally generates distortions.

Over the week, the three indices that had set records Thursday, are up less than half a percentage point for the Dow Jones, 3% for the Nasdaq and almost 1% for the S&P 500.

"It was a special session because with the Four Witches and the arrival of Tesla in the S&P 500 index on Monday, investors had to position themselves as early as Friday at the close," said Karl Haeling of LBBW.

The inclusion of the title of the manufacturer of high-end electric cars in the prestigious S&P 500 index forced many investment funds to rebalance to take this new situation into account.

"It looks like investors have to sell more S&P 500 stocks to make room for Tesla," Haeling said.

Tesla stock climbed nearly 6% on Friday, hitting a new high at $ 695.00.

After the summits of the day before, reached with the hopes of an agreement in Congress on a stimulus plan, investors are wondering if the stock market is not too optimistic.

"Some indicators are signaling that the market may be too bullish or under threat of a correction. It is not clear but it is a good debate," added the expert from LBBW.

All eyes were fixed on negotiations in Congress on a $ 900 billion aid package.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said an agreement was "very close", citing "productive" talks that could continue over the weekend.

Among the values ​​of the day, the title of Intel plunged 6.30% after press reports according to which Microsoft plans to manufacture its own chips for its Surface product line and its servers, abandoning Intel's microprocessors.

The title of Moderna, which should soon receive a green light from the authorities for its vaccine, has lost a little of the ground gained the day before (-2.62%).

FedEx dropped 5.71% after posting solid results, boosted by online orders during the pandemic.

The market did not appreciate that with the increase in business volume, FedEx's operating costs also increased, which reduced its operating margin.

The bond yield on 10-year Treasury bills, down in the morning, rose to 0.9462% against 0.9329% the day before.

© 2020 AFP