US stocks edge higher as Nasdaq ekes out record

New York, July 14: Wall Street stocks finished modestly higher Friday, with the Nasdaq eking out a second straight record as beaten-down consumer stocks rallied.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.4 percent to close the week at 24,019.41.

The broad-based S&P 500 advanced 0.1 percent to 2,801.31, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index added less than 0.1 percent to end at a new all-time high of 7,825.98.

Investors have turned their attention away from trade tensions for the time being to focus on corporate earnings, which are expected to rise by about 20 percent compared with the year-ago period.

Banks opened earnings season, with JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup both topping analyst expectations, while Wells Fargo fell short.

All three stocks retreated, with JPMorgan losing 0.5 percent, Citigroup 2.3 percent and Wells Fargo 1.3 percent.

Consumer staples, which has underperformed the broader market for much of 2018, was among the strongest sectors Friday.

Among those gaining were Dow members Walmart and Walgreens Boots Alliance, which won 1.4 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively. Other gainers included Costco Wholesale and Colgate-Palmolive.

But Johnson & Johnson sank 1.4 percent after a Missouri jury ruled the pharmaceutical goods company owed $4.7 billion in damages in a lawsuit by families over allegations a talc sold by the company contained asbestos and caused them to suffer cancer.

The company said it would "pursue all available appellate remedies."

Netflix shed 4.3 percent ahead of an earnings report Monday amid nervousness it will show slowing subscription growth.

(AFP/APP)