The New York Stock Exchange wrapped up the last trading day of the week with a mixed performance. The Dow Jones index fell to 44,546.08 points, the S&P 500 closed at 6,114.63 points, and the Nasdaq index rose to 20,026.77 points.

At closing, the Dow Jones index dropped by 0.37% to 44,546.08 points, the S&P 500 remained flat at 6,114.63 points, and the Nasdaq index increased by 0.41% to 20,026.77 points. Investors observed a mixed trend in the stock markets as they evaluated Trump’s decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries and the released data.

Trump directed the economic team to prepare a plan for imposing tariffs on countries that levy tariffs on imports from the US. Trump stated that reciprocal tariffs would be applied and that VAT would be considered as a tariff. Howard Lutnick, the nominee for US Trade Secretary, mentioned that they would examine each country individually and aimed to complete the work by April 1. Retail sales in the US experienced the largest monthly decline since March 2023, dropping by 0.9% in January, below market expectations. Analysts attributed this to adverse weather conditions and fires impacting consumer spending negatively. Import price index in the US saw a 0.3% rise in January, the lowest since April 2024, while the export price index increased by 1.3%, the highest since May 2022.

The import price index rose less than expected in January, while the export price index saw a higher increase than projected. Analysts noted that producer and consumer inflation announced this week exceeded expectations, and the lower-than-expected rise in the import price index provided some hope in the fight against inflation. Analysts mentioned that the Trump administration’s policies, such as tariffs, tax cuts, and mass deportations of irregular migrants, were considered “inflationary” by economists, and the clarity of these policies and the released data would shape the future interest rate decisions of the Federal Reserve (Fed). Industrial production in the US also exceeded market expectations by climbing 0.5% in January. While the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.45%, it later stabilized at 4.48%. The Dollar Index dropped by 0.5% to 106.77 as of 00:25 GMT. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan mentioned that if the labor market remained strong, better inflation data would not necessarily indicate a rate cut by the Fed. Meta’s shares gained over 1% after news broke that the company planned to invest in humanoid robots supported by artificial intelligence. Markets in the US will be closed on Monday for Presidents Day.