British News Agency

The S&P 500 Index rose 0.19% to close at 6,858.47 points, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.03% to 23,235.63 points. Both indices posted solid gains earlier in the session, with the S&P 500 and the technology-heavy Nasdaq climbing as much as 0.7% and 1.5%, respectively, at their highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 319.10 points, or 0.66%, to close at 48,382.39 points.

Friday’s gain in the S&P 500 marks a reversal from the first-day trading trend seen in recent years. The index had closed lower on the first trading day in each of the past three years. According to analysts, looking back to the 1950s, there is no clear trend, with the first day ending positively about 48% of the time.

Shares of major chipmakers such as Nvidia and Micron Technology rose during the session. The former gained more than 1%, while the latter jumped more than 10%. Both artificial intelligence–related names posted strong gains in 2025—Nvidia rose about 39%, while Micron surged more than 240%.

However, other technology segments outside semiconductors saw some losses. Salesforce fell more than 4% and CrowdStrike dropped over 3%, putting pressure on software stocks. Palantir Technologies and Microsoft also declined. In addition, Tesla shares fell more than 2% after the company’s fourth-quarter deliveries came in below analysts’ expectations.

Technology was the best-performing sector of 2025, as strong investor interest in artificial intelligence companies fueled a sharp rally across the broader market. The S&P 500 gained more than 16% last year, marking its third consecutive annual advance. The Nasdaq jumped more than 20%, while the 30-stock Dow rose about 13%. All three indices reached record levels last year.

According to analysts, the rotation between technology and non-technology sectors will continue, but the overall upward trend is expected to persist, with other themes outside technology likely to perform well this year.

Wall Street strategists expect further gains in US equities in 2026 and say the average year-end target for the S&P 500 is 7,629, implying an increase of 11.4%.

During Friday’s session, there were also some bright spots elsewhere in the broader market. Wayfair shares rose about 6%, while RH shares jumped roughly 8% after US President Donald Trump delayed a planned increase in tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets by one year on New Year’s Eve.

The decision specifically delays the 30% tariff on upholstered furniture and the 50% tariff on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, while keeping in place the 25% tariff imposed in September on these products.