Stock Market Higher on Positive Banking Earnings

U.S. equities rose on Friday as investors parsed through quarterly results from several big banks and economic data.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose more than 150 points before holding about 110 points higher, with Goldman Sachs contributing the most gains. The S&P 500 rose approximately 0.4 percent, with information technology and financials leading advancers.

The Nasdaq composite gained 0.4 percent.

JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup all posted better-than-expected quarterly results, beating estimates on both the top and bottom lines.

In economic news, U.S. retail sales rose 0.6 percent in September, matching expectations. Meanwhile, the Labor Department said its producer price index for final demand increased 0.3 percent after being unchanged in August.

Other data released Friday included business inventories, which rose 0.2 percent in August. Meanwhile, October consumer sentiment came in at 87.9, well below an estimate of 92, as concerns over the U.S. presidential election weighed.

Investors have been heavily scrutinizing U.S. economic data recently, trying to gauge the likelihood that the Federal Reserve raises interest rates later this year. According to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, market expectations for a December rate hike are more than 60 percent.

The dollar rose 0.43 percent against a basket of currencies, with the euro near $1.099 and the yen around 104.18.

In oil markets, U.S. crude traded about 1 percent lower at $49.96 per barrel.

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