U.S. stocks lower at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.69%

Investing.com – U.S. stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Technology, Consumer Goods and Consumer Services sectors led shares lower.

At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.69%, while the S&P 500 index declined 1.30%, and the NASDAQ Composite index lost 2.18%.

The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD), which rose 2.19% or 4.87 points to trade at 226.87 at the close. Meanwhile, Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) added 1.44% or 3.04 points to end at 214.83 and The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE:TRV) was up 1.07% or 1.84 points to 173.73 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE), which fell 2.70% or 3.40 points to trade at 122.63 at the close. Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) declined 2.39% or 3.79 points to end at 154.73 and JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) was down 2.25% or 2.97 points to 128.89.

The top performers on the S&P 500 were EPAM Systems Inc (NYSE:EPAM) which rose 6.03% to 200.14, LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB) which was up 3.70% to settle at 103.43 and Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) which gained 3.00% to close at 389.48.

The worst performers were Etsy Inc (NASDAQ:ETSY) which was down 11.50% to 121.23 in late trade, Generac Holdlings Inc (NYSE:GNRC) which lost 7.11% to settle at 281.64 and Align Technology Inc (NASDAQ:ALGN) which was down 6.84% to 400.67 at the close.

The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Terawulf Inc (NASDAQ:WULF) which rose 49.29% to 9.51, Guardforce AI Co Ltd (NASDAQ:GFAI) which was up 45.04% to settle at 0.78 and Clearside Biomedical Inc (NASDAQ:CLSD) which gained 42.59% to close at 1.92.

The worst performers were Orphazyme (NASDAQ:ORPH) which was down 45.75% to 0.68 in late trade, Zhongchao Inc (NASDAQ:ZCMD) which lost 38.24% to settle at 1.05 and Exela Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:XELA) which was down 32.68% to 0.57 at the close.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 2336 to 869 and 117 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 2704 fell and 1122 advanced, while 196 ended unchanged.

Shares in Align Technology Inc (NASDAQ:ALGN) fell to 52-week lows; falling 6.84% or 29.42 to 400.67. Shares in The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE:TRV) rose to all time highs; rising 1.07% or 1.84 to 173.73. Shares in Orphazyme (NASDAQ:ORPH) fell to all time lows; losing 45.75% or 0.58 to 0.68. Shares in Zhongchao Inc (NASDAQ:ZCMD) fell to all time lows; falling 38.24% or 0.65 to 1.05.

The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was up 1.72% to 30.75.

Gold Futures for April delivery was down 0.41% or 8.15 to $1,992.25 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in April rose 3.00% or 3.18 to hit $109.20 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract rose 2.83% or 3.09 to trade at $112.42 a barrel.

EUR/USD was down 0.65% to 1.09, while USD/JPY rose 1.00% to 117.29.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.62% at 99.11.