S&P500 Today: Consumer Discretionary and Financials Push US Stocks Toward Weekly Win

S&P 500 Extends Weekly Gains as Traders Eye Earnings Strength and Trade Hopes

The S&P 500 added 0.3% mid-session Friday, set to notch its fourth straight weekly gain, bolstered by upbeat corporate earnings and cautious optimism surrounding global trade talks. The Nasdaq also rose 0.3%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 92 points, or 0.2%.

Week-to-date, the S&P 500 is up about 1.2%, slightly outperforming the Dow and Nasdaq, both tracking 1% higher.

Are Sector Leaders Signaling Broader Market Strength?

Consumer Discretionary led gains, climbing 0.62% as traders rotated back into growth names.

Financials and Industrials each gained around 0.5%, showing resilience despite rate uncertainty.

Technology rose 0.25%, lifted modestly after Thursday’s pullback in megacaps.

Health Care, Materials, and Utilities saw mild advances under 0.3%, while Communication Services was flat.

Defensive groups lagged, with Consumer Staples dipping 0.1% and Real Estate falling 0.32%.

Energy dropped 0.6% as oil prices eased after a strong run earlier in the week.

Which Stocks Are Fueling the S&P 500’s Momentum?

Deckers Outdoor Corp surged over 12% following strong earnings, while Newmont Corporation jumped 6.5% on firmer gold prices and mining optimism. VeriSign and Aon also posted gains above 5%.

Health care names like Edwards Lifesciences, Molina, and Elevance rose more than 3.5% as investors revisited managed care stocks.

GE Vernova advanced nearly 4%, helping power Industrials higher.

On the downside, Charter Communications sank 16.6% following a disappointing outlook.

Intel dropped over 9% after poor earnings, dragging semis. Comcast slid more than 5%, and West Pharmaceutical fell 4.3%.

Other notable decliners included Textron, Bristol-Myers, and IQVIA, each shedding over 2.5%.

What’s Driving Sentiment Outside the Earnings Stream?

Traders also parsed comments from President Trump, who placed odds of a trade agreement with the EU at 50% and just 25% with Japan. The remarks, while cautious, offered hope for tariff relief and renewed demand.

Meanwhile, crypto markets saw diverging flows—Bitcoin ETFs faced their first weekly outflows since early June, while Ether ETFs drew in over $1.3 billion this week, reflecting shifting sentiment in digital assets.

What’s Next for Markets into Next Week?

With earnings season peaking and the S&P 500 eyeing fresh highs, attention turns to the Federal Reserve’s upcoming policy meeting and key inflation data.

Traders will look for signs of a potential rate pause or pivot. Short-term, momentum favors risk assets, but upside may hinge on how tech names rebound after this week’s mixed performance.

More Information in our Economic Calendar.