The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) on Friday closed down -0.06%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI) (DIA) closed down -0.17%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) closed down -0.07%. March E-mini S&P futures (ESH26) fell -0.06%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQH26) fell -0.08%.
Stock indexes gave up an early advance on Friday and settled slightly lower as bond yields rose. The 10-year T-note yield rose +6 bp to a 4.5-month high of 4.23% on Friday after President Trump expressed reluctance to nominate Kevin Hassett as Fed Chair. Hassett was seen by markets as the most dovish candidate and the top contender for the Fed Chair nomination, so nominating someone like Kevin Warsh, a known hawk and the second-most-likely Fed Chair candidate, dampened speculation about future Fed rate cuts, pushed bond yields higher, and weighed on stocks.
