On Friday, February 23rd, the U.S. stock markets closed with mixed results. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both reached new highs, supported by weekly gains across Wall Street and the ongoing rally in AI stocks. However, the Nasdaq Composite ended the day lower.
In terms of economic data, Baker Hughes reported an increase of six rigs in the total number of active U.S. oil rigs this week.
Most sectors within the S&P 500 closed with gains, with utilities, materials, and industrials leading the way. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.16%, closing at 39,131.53. The S&P 500 gained 0.03% to reach 5,088.80. Conversely, the Nasdaq Composite declined by 0.28%, closing at 15,996.82.
Internationally, Japan's Nikkei 225 index and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 both closed higher, while India's Nifty 50 and Nifty 500 closed lower. China's Shanghai Composite and Shenzhen CSI 300 both declined significantly.
In Europe, the Eurozone STOXX 600 index was down by 0.25% at the time of reporting.
Among commodities, crude oil prices were trading lower, with WTI down by 0.20% and Brent down by 0.22%. Gold and silver also experienced declines, while copper fell by 1.15%.