Wall Street winds up week with across-the-board gains

NEW YORK, New York -U.S. stock indices closed higher on Friday, with investors looking past elevated bond yields and focusing instead on diplomatic developments surrounding the US-Iran conflict and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as oil prices retreated slightly. TheStandard and Poor's 500closed at7,743.51, up39.38points or0.51 percent, on volume of2.543B. The index traded between a session low of7,693.08and a high of7,752.07, against a 52-week range of6,316.91to7,816.70. TheDow Jones Industrial Averageled the gains, climbing478.61points or0.93 percentto close at51,828.59, with volume of380.731M. The blue-chip index moved between51,339.24and51,874.94during the session, within a yearly range of45,057.28to54,744.33. TheNASDAQ Compositeadded129.34points or0.48 percentto finish at27,068.72on volume of5.547B, after trading between26,876.27and27,122.76. Its 52-week range stood at20,690.25to27,288.79. Market participants said the advance demonstrated resilience in the face of higher bond yields, which typically pressure equity valuations. Instead, investors appeared to take encouragement from ongoing US-Iran talks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments. News of progress on that front helped push oil prices slightly lower, easing some of the inflationary concerns that have weighed on markets in recent weeks. Analysts cautioned that the situation remains fluid, with any breakdown in negotiations likely to revive volatility in both energy and equity markets. Nevertheless, Friday's session reflected a market willing to look through near-term rate pressures toward a potentially more stable geopolitical backdrop. U.S. Dollar Retreats Across the Board Friday as Profit-Taking Erodes Recent Gains The U.S. dollar weakened against all major currencies on Friday as traders locked in profits following the greenback's recent surge, according to the latest foreign exchange market quotes. Theeurostrengthened against the dollar, withEUR-USDtrading at1.1398, a gain of0.16 percentfor the single currency. TheBritish poundalso advanced, asGBP-USDrose to1.3251, up0.24 percent. TheAustralian dollarposted a similar move, withAUD-USDat0.7028, an increase of0.23 percent. The dollar's weakness was most pronounced against theJapanese yen, whereUSD-JPYclimbed to157.21, a rise of1.04 percentfor the yen. The dollar also softened against theCanadian dollar, withUSD-CADat1.4145, edging up0.05 percent, and against theSwiss franc, asUSD-CHFstood at0.8283, up0.06 percent. Currency strategists attributed the broad dollar pullback to profit-taking after the greenback's recent run higher, with investors choosing to book gains ahead of the weekend rather than extend their long-dollar positions. The uniform nature of the dollar's decline — falling against every currency in the basket — underscored the technical rather than fundamental character of the move, analysts said. Traders will be watching next week's economic data releases and central bank commentary for fresh direction on whether the dollar's retreat marks a temporary pause or the start of a more sustained reversal. Global Stock Markets End Mixed Friday as European Bourses Gain, Asia Retreats World stock markets closed Friday's session with a mixed performance, as major Canadian, UK, and European indices finished mostly higher while several Asian benchmarks slipped into negative territory. In Canada, theS&P/TSX Composite indexrose94.43points or0.26 percentto close at35,800.89, with volume of215.328M. The index traded between35,587.49and35,844.24during the session. In London, theFTSE 100closed at10,695.25, up15.26points or0.14 percent. The index traded between a low of10,666.95and a high of10,753.35during the session, against a 52-week range of9,208.50to10,989.50. On the European continent, Germany'sDAX Prose to25,408.64, gaining142.11points or0.56 percent, with a session range of25,347.30to25,529.33and a yearly range of21,863.81to26,618.74. In France, theCAC 40edged down to8,077.80, shedding3.63points or0.04 percent, after trading between8,057.15and8,136.29. Its 52-week range stood at7,505.27to8,755.03. TheEURO STOXX 50 Iadvanced to6,302.82, up30.32points or0.48 percent, within a session range of6,285.51to6,338.03and a yearly range of5,376.81to6,577.20. TheEuronext 100 Indexclosed at1,895.33, up5.45points or0.29 percent, having traded between1,890.94and1,904.70. Belgium'sBEL 20gained33.14points or0.58 percentto close at5,704.30, with a session range of5,699.66to5,737.98. In Asia, the Hong KongHANG SENG INDEXfell to24,510.09, down251.04points or1.01 percent, after trading between24,275.56and24,537.14. Its 52-week range was22,518.00to28,056.10. Singapore'sSTI Indexbucked the regional trend, rising27.75points or0.49 percentto5,711.12, within a range of5,665.35to5,716.53. Mainland China'sSSE Composite Indexdropped48.15points or1.22 percentto3,888.37on volume of903.368M, trading between3,888.37and3,930.50. In Japan, theNikkei 225posted the strongest gain of the day, surging850.21points or1.30 percentto close at66,364.20, after trading between65,639.62and66,410.27. Its 52-week range stood at44,357.65to72,831.73. In Australia, theS&P/ASX 200 [XJO]closed at8,665.00, down37.00points or0.43 percent, having traded between8,639.90and8,702.00. The broaderALL ORDINARIES [XAO]slipped to8,845.60, losing51.40points or0.58 percent, with a session range of8,827.20to8,897.00. New Zealand'sS&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSSclosed at13,811.11, down13.72points or0.10 percent, with a session range of13,760.81to13,853.25. In India, theS&P BSE SENSEXgained315.20points or0.43 percentto end at73,895.74, after moving between73,477.77and73,968.05. Also in Southeast Asia, Indonesia'sIDX COMPOSITEdropped56.71points or0.90 percentto6,241.89, while theFTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCIedged down0.69points or0.04 percentto1,671.62. South Korea'sKOSPI Composite Indexwas a standout gainer, climbing63.01points or0.90 percentto7,080.92on volume of236,996, trading between7,014.98and7,153.99. Taiwan'sTSEC CAPITALIZATION WEIGHTED STfell132.69points or0.28 percentto48,024.60, within a range of47,754.72to48,117.54. Most Middle East markets were closed on Friday and will reopen on Sunday. Israel'sTA-125,however, was open and finished flat at4,100.40, unchanged at0.00 percent, after trading between4,086.14and4,124.35. In South Africa, theTop 40 USD Net TRI Indexdeclined23.05points or0.34 percentto6,791.90, with a session range of6,741.06to6,854.98. Analysts noted that the divergence between European and Asian markets reflected shifting investor sentiment ahead of the weekend, with Japanese equities benefiting from a weaker yen and positive corporate earnings, while Chinese and Hong Kong shares faced renewed pressure. (This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence). 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