The Nasdaq Composite fell on Friday, weighed down by continued weakness in artificial intelligence stocks, closing out a losing week as fresh economic data deepened investor concerns about a slowdown.
The tech-heavy index slipped 0.21% to finish at 23,004.54. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average edged slightly higher, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.13% to 6,728.80 and the Dow adding 74.80 points, or 0.16%, to 46,987.10. Earlier in the session, the Nasdaq had dropped as much as 2.1%, while the S&P 500 and Dow were down 1.3% and roughly 0.9%, respectively.
Stocks pared losses after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer proposed a new plan aimed at ending the record-long U.S. government shutdown. His proposal calls for short-term funding to reopen federal operations in exchange for a one-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits.
The prolonged shutdown has heightened concerns over the health of the U.S. economy. A University of Michigan survey released Friday showed consumer sentiment approaching record lows, following Thursday’s report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas that October’s layoff announcements hit their highest level for the month in 22 years.
With much of the government shuttered, investors have received little in the way of new economic data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics was unable to release the nonfarm payrolls report for a second consecutive month. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected a 60,000-job decline and a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.5%.
The Senate is set to vote Friday on advancing a House-approved stopgap funding bill. The extended funding lapse has weighed on economic activity, even leading to disruptions in air travel as air traffic controllers continue working without pay. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans to cut flights by 10% at 40 major airports beginning Friday, potentially impacting 3,500 to 4,000 flights daily. As of Friday morning, over 700 U.S. flights had already been canceled.
All three major indexes ended the week in negative territory as concerns over stretched tech valuations and market concentration persisted. The Nasdaq fell roughly 3% for the week — its steepest weekly loss since early April — while the S&P 500 and Dow each slipped more than 1%.
Among Friday’s laggards was Oracle, which dropped nearly 2%, extending its weekly loss to about 9%. Advanced Micro Devices also tumbled around 9% for the week, and Broadcom slid more than 5%. Major AI leaders including Nvidia, AMD, Tesla, and Microsoft had already weighed on the broader market Thursday, when the Nasdaq plunged 1.9% and the Dow shed nearly 400 points.
