As the closing bell neared, U.S. stocks took a nosedive, with the mighty Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeting over 200 points on Friday.
The Dow traded down 0.55% to 38,692.43, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ sank 0.90% to 15,982.65. The broader market, represented by the S&P 500, also felt the heat, dropping 0.64% to 5,117.35.
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Industry Movements
Materials shares managed to eke out a meager gain of 0.2% on Friday.
However, the high-flying information technology sector took a severe hit, with shares plunging by 1.4%.
Adobe’s Downward Spiral
Shares of Adobe Inc. took a sharp dive of around 14% on Friday after the company issued a disappointing forecast.
While Adobe posted better-than-expected results for its first quarter, the outlook for the current quarter fell short. The company projected second-quarter revenue in the range of $5.25 billion to $5.30 billion, missing estimates of $5.31 billion, as reported by Benzinga Pro.
Winners and Losers in Equities Trading
Verb Technology Company, Inc. saw its shares skyrocket by a staggering 219% to $0.4461, driven by the launch of MARKET.live with Facebook and Instagram social shopping tech integration.
Additionally, Cardlytics, Inc. enjoyed a boost, surging 64% to $13.45 post-reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings. Meanwhile, American Vanguard Corporation also joined the winners, with shares climbing 22% to $12.91 following strong fourth-quarter financial results.
On the flip side, C3is Inc. saw its shares plummet by 62% to $0.0297 after announcing a $6 million underwritten public offering pricing. SELLAS Life Sciences Group, Inc. and Immuneering Corporation also struggled, dropping 29% each due to public offering and stock downgrades, respectively.
Market Commodity Updates
In commodity news, oil edged down 0.2% to $81.12, while gold dipped 0.3% to $2,162.00.
On a brighter note, silver rose by 1.5% to $25.435, and copper climbed 1.9% to $4.1205 on Friday.
Global Market Snapshot
European markets ended the day mixed, with various indices showing a range of movements. Notable fluctuations include a slip in the eurozone STOXX 600 by 0.32%, decline in London’s FTSE 100 by 0.20%, and a rise in Spain’s IBEX 35 Index by 1.02%. Meanwhile, Asian markets presented a gloomy picture, as Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dipped while China’s Shanghai Composite Index showed a slight uptick.
In China, new house prices declined by 1.4% year-over-year in February, and the People’s Bank of China maintained the interest rate at 2.50%. Singapore reported a steady unemployment rate of 2.0% for the fourth quarter.
Economic Insights
Recent economic data revealed a mixed bag of trends. U.S. manufacturing production showed a solid 0.8% month-over-month increase in February, while industrial production rose by a modest 0.1%. However, the NY Empire State Manufacturing Index took a nosedive to -20.9 in March.
Export and import prices in the U.S. ticked up by 0.8% and 0.3%, respectively, in February. Consumer sentiment, however, dipped to 76.5 in March, the lowest reading in three months. On the energy front, the total number of active U.S. oil rigs inched up by 6 this week, as per Baker Hughes Inc.
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