Investing.com - Wall Street was under pressure into the close Wednesday, but is on course to post a strong quarterly gain following a solid quarterly showing in tech and health care.
The U-turn in U.S. stocks arrived courtesy of a slump in Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) as cyber thieves hacked the social media giant's platform, gaining access to as many as 50 million user accounts.
Elsewhere, Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) came under pressure late Friday after confirming it would pay a $34.5 million penalty to settle Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that the company’s former chief executive and former chief financial officer failed to provide adequate warning about the risks concerning Walgreens' planned merger with Alliance Boots.
The red-hot Cannabis sector continued to smoke out gains, meanwhile, as New Age Beverages (NASDAQ:NBEV) soared 30% and Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY) rose nearly 7%.
New Age Beverage recently announced that it will unveil its portfolio of cannabidiol (CBD)-infused products during next month's North American Convenience Store show.
Healthcare, meanwhile, was on track to post its best quarter in five years, underpinned by strong quarterly gains from Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY), Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE).
Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALXN), which has been on a tear in recent sessions, continued to add to gains.