NEW YORK, April 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closing at fresh all-time highs, as investors hope for a restart to U.S.-Iran peace talks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.16 percent to 49,230.71. The S&P 500 added 0.8 percent to a new record close of 7,165.08. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 1.63 percent to 24,836.6, also hitting a new record high.
Six of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended lower. Health care and industrials led the laggards, declining by 1.37 percent and 0.89 percent, respectively. Technology and consumer discretionary were the top performers, rising 2.46 percent and 1.36 percent.
Oil prices showed mixed movements. West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery fell 1.45 U.S. dollars, or 1.51 percent, to settle at 94.4 dollars per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for June delivery edged up 26 cents, or 0.25 percent, to settle at 105.33 dollars per barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.
Intel soared 23.6 percent on Friday after the chipmaker reported first-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street expectations and provided an upbeat forecast for the current quarter. Nvidia also crossed the 5 trillion dollar market capitalization threshold again on Friday, nearly six months after first achieving the milestone.
Stocks gained further support after the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would drop its criminal probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, potentially clearing the path for the Senate confirmation of U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee, Kevin Warsh, to lead the central bank.
U.S. consumer sentiment showed some improvement amid the ongoing ceasefire between the United States and Iran, but remained at record lows, according to the latest University of Michigan survey. Investors will continue to monitor developments in the Middle East as well as a steady stream of corporate earnings next week. ■