Stocks drifted mostly lower on Wall Street and oil prices slipped ahead of planned U.S.-Iran talks following a shaky ceasefire agreement.
The S&P 500 fell 0.1 percent Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.6 percent, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.4 percent. Trading remained choppy ahead of high-level talks between negotiators from Iran and the United States planned for Saturday in Pakistan.
The U.S. government reported a sharp spike in inflation in March because of the biggest monthly jump in gas prices in six decades, but the increase wasn’t quite as bad as economists were expecting. Treasury yields rose in the bond market.
On Friday:
The S&P 500 fell 7.77 points, or 0.1 percent, to 6,816.89.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 269.23 points, or 0.6 percent, to 47,916.57.
The Nasdaq composite rose 80.48 points, or 0.4 percent, to 22,902.89.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 5.72 points, or 0.2 percent to 2,630.59.
For the week:
The S&P 500 is up 234.20 points, or 3.6 percent.
The Dow is up 1,411.90 points, or 3 percent.
The Nasdaq is up 1,023.71 points, or 4.7 percent.
The Russell 2000 is up 100.55 points, or 4 percent.
For the year:
The S&P 500 is down 28.61 points, or 0.4 percent.
The Dow is down 146.72 points, or 0.3 percent.
The Nasdaq is down 339.10 points, or 1.5 percent.
The Russell 2000 is up 148.68 points, or 6 percent.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.

