US stocks closed out a bruising week on a steadier note on Friday, with technology shares leading a partial rebound after Thursday's sharp sell-off pushed the Nasdaq into correction territory.
The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.1% on Friday to close at 24,579.42, recovering some of Thursday's losses, when the index plunged 5.52% to 24,315.00 — its worst single session since April 2025. The S&P 500 gained 0.3% on Friday to finish at 7,376.86, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.5% to 51,285.73.
For the full week, the damage was still severe. The Nasdaq fell 3.4% over the week, the S&P 500 dropped 2.7%, and the Dow ended 0.9% lower. Thursday's rout alone wiped about $2.5 trillion in market value from the Nasdaq as chip stocks led the decline.
What drove the sell-off
The turbulence followed Tuesday's midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. Investors also grew worried about a possible slowdown in data-center construction spending, which has powered much of the artificial intelligence trade this year. Hedge funds and retail investors pulled capital out of AI-linked stocks during the week.
Friday's rebound was helped by a stronger-than-expected jobs report. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said employers added 165,000 jobs in October, well above the 59,000 forecast in a Dow Jones survey, while the unemployment rate eased to 4.1% from 4.2%. Payrolls for August and September were also revised up by a combined 84,000, and average hourly earnings rose 0.4%.
Notable movers
Chipmakers led Friday's recovery after bearing the brunt of Thursday's fall. Nvidia was in focus after CNBC's Jim Cramer described the stock as the cheapest it has been in about a decade, citing a valuation multiple of around 16.5 after a roughly 22% slide over the past month.
Berkshire Hathaway reported that operating earnings fell 5.8%, even as the company spent $9.6 billion buying back its own shares. Bitcoin held just above $75,000 on Friday as risk appetite steadied.
What to watch next week
US markets are open as normal on Monday, November 9. Diwali is not a market holiday in the United States, and the exchanges will be closed only later in the month, on November 26 for Thanksgiving, with a half day on November 27. Investors will be watching whether Friday's bounce holds or whether the post-election sell-off resumes.
This article is general market news, not financial advice.
Sources: Associated Press, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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