Investing.com - U.S. stocks rose on Friday on market expectations for interest rates to remain low for the foreseeable future, though end-of-quarter profit taking and a DuPont profit revision watered down gains
At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow 30 rose 0.03%, the S&P 500 index rose 0.19%, while the NASDAQ Composite index rose 0.43%.
The Volatility S&P 500 index, which measures the outlook for market volatility, was down 3.18% at 11.26.
On Thursday, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard told Fox Business Network that an improving economy may make conditions ripe for interest rates to rise possibly in early 2015.
Stocks fell on the news, though investors digested Bullard's comments and took them in stride, as he is a known inflation hawk and is a non-voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, which sent share prices rising on Friday
Better-than-expected earnings from shoemaker Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) pushed up equities as did upbeat U.S. data.
The revised Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index rose to 82.5 in June from 81.2 in May, beating expectations for a 82.2 reading.
Typical end-of-quarter selling capped gains, however.
Elsewhere, Dupont Fabros Technology Inc (NYSE:DFT) trimmed its operating profit outlook for the second quarter and full year, which also dampened spirits.
Leading Dow Jones Industrial Average performers included Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), up 0.76%, Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE), up 0.65%, and Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), up 0.49%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average's worst performers included Dupont Fabros Technology Inc (NYSE:DFT), down 3.34%, Merck & Company Inc (NYSE:MRK), down 1.71%, and Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), down 0.80%.
European indices, meanwhile, ended the day mixed.
After the close of European trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 fell 0.14%, France's CAC 40 fell 0.06%, while Germany's DAX rose 0.10%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 rose 0.34%.