Markets closed out the week on a decidedly sour note Friday, with all four major indices finishing firmly in the red. The S&P 500 slipped 1.70% to 6,492.19, breaching the psychologically significant 6,500 level and capping a rough stretch for equity bulls. The Dow Jones Industrial Average held up comparatively better, falling 1.12% to 45,301.79, though the loss still stung heading into the weekend.
The Nasdaq bore the heaviest blow among large-cap indices, shedding 1.85% to settle at 21,128.78 as technology and growth names faced persistent selling pressure. Nvidia's 3.28% decline to $172.70 exemplified the pain felt across the semiconductor and AI space, where elevated valuations continue to invite skepticism when sentiment sours.
Small caps fared worst of all. The Russell 2000 dropped 2.18% to 2,412.51, a sign that risk appetite was draining broadly across market-cap tiers — not just in mega-cap tech. The divergence between small caps and blue chips suggests investors sought relative safety in larger, more liquid names even as they reduced overall exposure.
Gold continued to shine as a haven asset, with prices reaching $4,514.11 — underscoring the flight-to-safety narrative that dominated Friday's trading. Visa's modest 0.64% gain to $301.62 was a rare bright spot, signaling that defensive, non-cyclical financials retained some investor favor even on a broadly difficult day.