Wall Street ended higher on Friday as investors digested U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest comments on China and encouraging earnings from regional banks helped ease concerns over credit risks. Trump acknowledged that his proposed 100% tariffs on Chinese goods would be unsustainable but continued to blame Beijing for stalled trade talks, following China’s move to tighten control over rare earth exports. The tariffs and new export restrictions on critical software are set to take effect on November 1.
Market sentiment improved after a turbulent week for financial stocks. Regional bank shares rebounded sharply following Thursday’s selloff triggered by Zions Bancorporation’s loan losses and Western Alliance’s lawsuit involving Cantor Group V, LLC. Analysts suggested fears over credit quality were overstated, with most banks showing strong fundamentals. Truist Financial gained 3.7% after reporting higher third-quarter profits, while Zions climbed 5.8%, Western Alliance rose 3.1%, and Fifth Third Bancorp added 1.3%.
The S&P Composite 1500 Regional Banks Index advanced 1.8% after a 6% drop the previous day, while the broader S&P 500 financial sector index gained 0.8%. Solid results from JPMorgan and other large banks boosted overall optimism for the third-quarter earnings season. Analysts now expect S&P 500 earnings to grow 9.3%, up from 8.8% earlier in October, according to LSEG I/B/E/S data.
The S&P 500 rose 0.53% to 6,664.01, the Nasdaq gained 0.52% to 22,679.98, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.52% to 46,190.61. Nine of the 11 major S&P sectors advanced, led by consumer staples, up 1.23%. For the week, the S&P 500 rose 1.7%, the Nasdaq 2.1%, and the Dow 1.6%. Market volatility eased, with the CBOE VIX dropping to 21.5 points. Tesla gained 2.5%, Apple rose 2%, and Amazon slipped 0.7%. Eli Lilly fell 2% after Trump vowed to lower weight-loss drug prices, while State Street declined 1.4% on weaker net interest income.