Indexes edge up, still set for weekly loss after rocky start
Expedia gains after Q2 profit beat
Indexes: Dow up 0.1, S&P 500 up 0.4%, Nasdaq up 0.4%
Updates to 2:40 p.m. ET
By Caroline Valetkevitch
NEW YORK, Aug 9 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks edged higher on Friday, with all three major indexes set for small weekly losses after a rally in recent days failed to bring Wall Street back from Monday's steep dive that was prompted by fearsof a recession and unwinding of a global yen-funded carry trade.
The technology sector .SPLRCT led gains among S&P 500 sectors for the day, butthe S&P 500 .SPX and the Nasdaq .IXIC were headedfor a fourth straight week of declines. The Cboe Volatility Index .VIX, Wall Street's "fear gauge", was down on Friday after surging to 65.73 at the start of the week.
Monday's big decline followed a sharp sell-off last week as a weaker-than-expected July jobs report sparked recession fears. Compounding losses was a Bank of Japan interest rate hike on July 31, which led to a sharp appreciation in the yen, widely used for buying high-yielding assets. Investors unwound currency carry trade positions.
"There is going to continue to be a signficant amount of uncertainty and anxiety hanging over the market for the course of the next month until we get to the next Fed meeting," said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles.
Investors now see a 55% chance that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by 50 basis points at its next policy meeting on Sept. 17-18, with a 25 basis point cut seen as having a 45% probability, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 27.13 points, or 0.07%, to 39,473.62, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 21.67 points, or 0.41%, to 5,340.98 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 72.48 points, or 0.44%, to 16,732.50.
Investors await next week's readings on U.S.consumer prices and retail sales for July, which could provide fresh evidence on the chances of a soft landing for the American economy.
On Thursday, Fedpolicymakers expressed confidencethat inflation was cooling enough to allow interest-rate cuts ahead, and will take their cues on the size and timing of those cuts from the economic data.
Among individual stocks, videogame publisher Take-Two Interactive Software TTWO.O climbed as it expects net bookings to grow in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Expedia EXPE.O also advancedafter the online travel agency beat analysts' expectations for second-quarter profit.
Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 1.22-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.26-to-1 ratio favored decliners.
The S&P 500 posted 13 new 52-week highs and 3 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 48 new highs and 142 new lows.
Most S&P 500 sub-sectors set for weekly losses https://tmsnrt.rs/4dg835k
Wall Street's "fear gauge" saw sharp upswings this week https://tmsnrt.rs/4dg7TuG
Additional reporting by Shubham Batra and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli
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