Investing.com -- U.S. stocks inched up on Friday as historically low oil prices prevented otherwise optimistic economic data from surging higher, prompting investors to waver on whether the Federal Reserve could delay a potential fall interest rate hike until December.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ Composite index moved moderately higher, amid minor gains from Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) while the S&P 500 Composite index also ticked up on Friday to close up for the week. The Dow ended a volatile, see-saw week slightly higher for the five-day period, after gaining 69.15 or 0.4% to 17.477.40 on Friday, while the NASDAQ rose 14.68 or 0.29% to close at 5,048.24. For the week, the NASDAQ fell mildly by approximately 30 points.
The S&P 500 added 8.15 or 0.39% to 2,091.54, as nine of 10 sectors closed in the green. Stocks in the Utilities, Financials and Industrial sectors led, each gaining at least 0.6% on the session.
The top performer on the Dow was EI du Pont de Nemours and Company (NYSE:DD), which gained 0.83 or 1.57% to 53.86. Shares in DuPont, one of the world's largest chemical companies, are still down by roughly 13% over the last 52-weeks. The worst performer was Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), which fell 0.25 or 0.33% to 75.53.
The biggest gainer on the NASDAQ was Chinese Internet services provider Baidu Inc (NASDAQ:BIDU), which rose 3.79 or 2.36% to 164.68, amid a slight increase in the yuan against the dollar. Earlier this week, the People's Bank of China rattled global markets by devaluing the yuan by 1.9% -- its largest amount in more than a decade. The worst performer was Viacom B Inc (NASDAQ:VIAB), which fell 2.07 or 4.52% to 43.68.
The top performer on the S&P 500 was Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY), which gained 2.70 or 7.01% to 41.22. On Friday, activist investor Nelson Peltz declared a 7% stake in the cafeteria and restaurant food distributor, while expressing a desire for seats on the company's board. The worst performer was Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc (NYSE:DO), which fell 1.06 or 4.58% to 22.09.
Retailers JC Penney Company Inc Holding (NYSE:JCP) and Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) also posted sharp gains after reporting stronger than expected earlier in the week. U.S. Retail Sales rose 0.6% in July, while sales among clothing stores increased by 0.4% on a monthly basis.
On the New York Stock Exchange, advancing issues outnumbered declining ones by a 2,119 to 999 margin.