Friday’s trading session in US equity markets was characterized by divergent performance among major indices and distinct sectoral shifts. The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated by 0.46%, closing down more than 200 points at approximately 49,158.56. Contrasting with this decline, the NASDAQ Composite advanced by 0.19%, reaching 23,481.32, and the S&P 500 recorded a marginal gain of 0.03%, ending the day at 6,915.27.
Sector analysis highlighted energy stocks as one of the leading gainers, climbing by 1.3%. Conversely, the financial sector faced downward pressure, retreating by 0.8% during the trading day. This sectoral disparity underscores ongoing shifts in market preferences and reactions to contemporaneous corporate and macroeconomic updates.
Corporate Earnings Update: SLB Limited
SLB Limited (NYSE:SLB) reported quarterly financial results signaling stabilization in the global upstream oil and gas exploration and production environment. The company's fourth-quarter revenue totaled $9.745 billion, marking a 5% increase year-over-year and surpassing analyst expectations pegged at $9.547 billion. Despite this revenue growth, diluted GAAP earnings per share decreased to $0.55 from $0.77 in the prior year. Excluding charges and credits, adjusted diluted EPS stood at $0.78, below the $0.92 recorded in the previous year but above projections of $0.74.
Significant Stock Movements
Among individual equities, Movano Inc. (NASDAQ:MOVE) experienced a remarkable surge, with shares jumping approximately 150% to $17.43. This spike followed the announcement that Corvex, a recent corporate partner of Movano, secured a long-term deployment agreement involving the NVIDIA H200 GPU, positioning the combined entity to leverage advanced hardware capabilities.
Direct Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:DRCT) likewise saw substantial gains, with shares more than doubling, appreciating 103% to $4.6999. TryHard Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:THH) also registered significant gains, rising 92% to $1.3501.
On the downside, shares of Aptera Motors Corp. (NASDAQ:SEV) declined sharply by 45%, closing at $1.3350 after announcing a $9 million public offering pricing. Similarly, Erayak Power Solution Group Inc. (NASDAQ:RAYA) saw its stock fall 40% to $1.6309 subsequent to a business update that reflected recent demand trends in the US market. The OLB Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:OLB) shares dropped 30%, finishing at $0.6050 after the company priced a $1.3 million registered direct offering.
Commodity Price Movements
Commodity markets responded positively, with crude oil prices advancing 2.9% to $61.10 per barrel. Precious metals also experienced upward trajectories; gold increased 0.8% reaching $4,952.50, while silver surged 3.6% to $99.800. Industrial metals such as copper gained 2.7%, trading at $5.9355.
Global Market Trends
Internationally, European equities mostly retreated. The STOXX 600 for the Eurozone declined 0.2%, Spain's IBEX 35 decreased 0.8%, the FTSE 100 in London edged down 0.1%, and France's CAC 40 slipped 0.3%. Germany's DAX index marginally increased by 0.1%, representing a rare positive outlier.
In the Asia-Pacific region, mixed outcomes were recorded. Japan's Nikkei index rose 0.29%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.45%, and China's Shanghai Composite climbed 0.33%. Contrastingly, India's BSE Sensex fell 0.94%, reflecting regional disparities in market sentiment and economic outlooks.
Economic Indicators Update
Economic measures released concurrently showed modest consumer confidence improvements and stability in service and manufacturing sectors. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index improved to 56.4 for January from a preliminary reading of 54.0 and December’s 52.9. The S&P Global services PMI remained steady at 52.5, while the composite PMI slightly rose from 52.7 to 52.8. The manufacturing PMI also increased marginally from 51.8 to 51.9, indicating slow but consistent growth momentum in respective sectors.
This combination of earnings reports, sectoral rotations, and economic data contributed to a complex market environment where select stocks and commodities experienced strong gains amid broader index fluctuations.