Wall Street ended higher on Friday, with all three major United States indices closing the week in positive territory, driven by upbeat corporate earnings and growing optimism surrounding international trade deals.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 208 points, or 0.5%, to end at 44,901.9, the S&P 500 climbed 25.3 points, or 0.4%, to a record close of 6,388.64, its fifth straight record finish and 14th of the year, while the Nasdaq Composite added 50.4 points, or 0.2%, to settle at 21,108.3, marking its 15th record close in 2025.
For the week, the S&P 500 advanced 1.5%, while the Nasdaq gained 1% and the Dow rose 1.3%.
Equities have been buoyed by a strong second-quarter earnings season. Alphabet delivered better-than-expected results, while Verizon also outperformed forecasts, lifting sentiment across the tech and telecom sectors.
Trade developments have also provided support. Early last week, President Donald Trump announced a "massive" trade agreement with Japan, including 15% reciprocal tariffs. He further revealed that the U.S. and Indonesia had agreed on the framework for a trade accord.
On Friday, Trump said he had anticipated additional agreements ahead of the 1 August tariff deadline. Over the weekend, he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new trade deal between the U.S. and the European Union.
Investors now turn their attention to the busiest week of earnings season, with over 150 S&P 500 companies set to report, including heavyweights Meta Platforms and Apple.
The Federal Reserve is also scheduled to meet next week, with markets widely expecting the central bank to hold rates steady in the current target range of 4.25% to 4.5%.
On the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell 0.3% to 4.386%, while the 2-year yield rose slightly by 0.1% to 3.921%.
