Friday Closing Bell: Markets Post Small Gain as Shutdown Drags On

October 11, 2013: U.S. markets opened slightly lower Friday morning but that didn’t last long. The report on consumer sentiment was not as bad as it could have been and that seemed to cheer investors a little. A White House meeting between the President and Republican House members raised hopes of an agreement on the government shutdown and raising the debt limit. Nothing came of the meeting except an announcement that Republicans would get together in an unusual Saturday morning meeting tomorrow.

Asian, European, and Latin American markets all closed higher today.

Monday’s calendar includes a speech by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke but no data is scheduled for release. Markets are open Monday as the U.S. observes the Columbus Day holiday.

Here are the closing bell levels for Friday:

• S&P500 1,703.19 (+10.63; +0.63%)
• DJIA 15,237.11 (+111.04; +0.73%)
• NASDAQ 3791.87 (+31.13; +0.83%)
• 10YR TNOTE 2.687% (flat)
• Gold $1,268.200 (-28.70; -2.2%), and closed down 3.2% for the week
• WTI Crude oil $102.02 (-0.99; -1%), and closed down about 1.8% for the week
• Euro/Dollar: 1.3522 (+0.0033; +0.24%)

Big Earnings Movers: Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) is down 8.6% at $16.84 on disappointing results reported last night. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is down 0.1% at $52.49 after posting big loss due to legal costs. Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) is up fractionally at $41.45 on light earnings due to a drop in mortgage lending.

Stocks on the Move: Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) is down 21.4% at $4.25. SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ: SCTY) is up 23% at $47.16 on a higher forecast for 2014. Amarin Corp. plc (NASDAQ: AMRN) is down 20.1% at $5.09.

In all, 177 NYSE stocks put up new 52-week highs today, while 22 stocks posted new lows.