Investing.com - Gains for Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) parent Alphabet, Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) and T-Mobile powered the S&P 500, the Nasdaq and Nasdaq 100 to new highs on Friday.
The gains were due to strong earnings Thursday for Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), up 10%, and Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), up 8.9% and the federal government's approval of T-Mobile's (NASDAQ:TMUS) $26-billion deal to merge with Sprint (NYSE:S). T-Mobile climbed 5.6%. Sprint rose 7.4%.
The S&P 500 closed at a record 3,026 with a 0.7% gain. The Nasdaq Composite and Nasdaq 100 indices jumped more than 1% each. All three indices reached new intraday highs as well.
The Dow was up a more modest 0.2%, led by Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO), up 2.1%, Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), up 1.74%, and health-insurer UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), up 1.7%. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) also hit a new intraday high of $141.71 and closed up 0.8% at a record $141.34.
The blue-chip index continued to be held back by continuing weakness in shares of Boeing (NYSE:BA), which is struggling to get its 737 Max jetliner back into service. The plane has been grounded since March after fatal crashes of the plane in Ethiopia and Indonesia, and it's possible the plane would go back into service until January.
Boeing was off 0.9% and subtracted 21 points from the Dow on Friday. It was off 8.6% on the week.
The market mostly embraced a Commerce Department report that U.S. gross domestic product grew 2.1% in the second quarter, compared with a 1.8% estimate.
But earnings reports this week proved to have much more influence.
The S&P 500 was up 1.7% for the week, with the Nasdaq up 2.23%. The Dow added 0.14%. For the year, the S&P 500 is up 20.7%, with the Nasdaq up 25.5% and the Dow up 16.6%.
And investors seem to believe that economic growth will push higher if, as expected, the Federal Reserve cuts its key interest rate next week. The Fed decision is due Wednesday afternoon. Investing.com's Fed Rate Monitor Tool says there's a 100% chance the Fed's key rate, the federal funds rate, will drop to 2% to 2.25%, down from 2.25% to 2.5% now.
The Trump administration has been pushing for lower rates to push the value of the dollar lower against major currencies. There was some talk this week the Administration might sell dollars to push the greenback lower. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the dollar against a basket of currencies, is up 25% since the end of 2009.
Next week has two big news-making events.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) weighs in with fiscal-third-quarter results after Tuesday's close. Analysts polled by Investing.com expect the iPhone maker to report $2.09 a share in earnings down from $2.16 a year ago, with revenue of $53.35 billion, up slightly from a year ago. Apple shares are up 33% this year after falling 6.7% in 2018 and 30% in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Friday brings the July jobs report.
Oil prices moved up slightly with West Texas intermediate crude rising 18 cents to $56.20 a barrel. Brent oil futures added 7 cents to $63.46.
Interest rates were flat to lower, with the 10-Year yield falling to 2.072% from Thursday's 2.083%.
Winners and losers in the S&P 500
Winners and Losers in the S&P 500
Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and its Class C shares (NASDAQ:GOOG), Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) and Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) were among the top performers in the S&P 500.
Flooring-and-carpet manufacturer Mohawk Industries (NYSE:MHK), oil-and-gas producer Cabot Oil & Gas (NYSE:COG) and semiconductor company Xilinx (NASDAQ:XLNX) were among the worst S&P performers.
Universal Health Services (NYSE:UHS), Google parent Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and its Class C shares (NASDAQ:GOOG), Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) and Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) were among the top performers in the S&P 500.
Flooring-and-carpet manufacturer Mohawk Industries (NYSE:MHK), oil-and-gas producer Cabot Oil & Gas (NYSE:COG) and semiconductor company Xilinx (NASDAQ:XLNX) were among the worst S&P performers.