Financial Markets                      06/20 15:23

   

   NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish on Friday in a quiet 
return to trading following the Juneteenth holiday.

   The S&P 500 fell 0.2% to close out a second straight week of modest losses. 
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 35 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq 
composite fell 0.5%.

   Treasury yields also held relatively steady in the bond market after 
President Donald Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether the U.S. 
military will get directly involved in Israel's fighting with Iran. The window 
offers the possibility of a negotiated settlement over Iran's nuclear program 
that could avoid increased fighting.

   The conflict has sent oil prices yo-yoing over the last week, which has in 
turn caused see-saw moves for the U.S. stock market, because of rising and 
ebbing fears that the war could disrupt the global flow of crude. Iran is a 
major producer of oil and also sits on the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through 
which much of the world's crude passes.

   "We're all waiting on pins and needles to see what happens with the 
Israel-Iran situation," said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth 
Management. "These types of situations can stress markets, but often the best 
way to manage that stress is to just ride through it and not try to trade it."

   On Wall Street, Kroger rose 9.8% after the grocer reported a better profit 
for the latest quarter than Wall Street had forecast. It also raised its 
forecast for an underlying measure of revenue for the full year. But while 
Chief Financial Officer David Kennerley said it's seeing positive momentum, the 
company is also still seeing an uncertain overall economic environment.

   CarMax climbed 6.6% after the auto dealer reported a stronger profit for the 
latest quarter than analysts expected. The company said it sold nearly 6% more 
used autos during the quarter than it did a year earlier.

   On the losing end of Wall Street was Smith & Wesson Brands, the maker of 
guns. It tumbled 19.8% after reporting profit and revenue for the latest 
quarter that fell just shy of analysts' expectations.

   Chief Financial Officer Deana McPherson said "persistent inflation, high 
interest rates, and uncertainty caused by tariff concerns" have been hurting 
sales for firearms, and the company expects demand in its upcoming fiscal year 
to be similar to this past year's, depending on how inflation and tariffs play 
out.

   All told, the S&P 500 fell 13.03 points to 5,967.84. The Dow Jones 
Industrial Average rose 35.16 to 42,206.82, and the Nasdaq composite fell 98.86 
to 19,447.41.

   A spate of companies has been adjusting or even withdrawing their financial 
forecasts for 2025 because of all the uncertainty that tariffs are creating for 
customers and for suppliers. Everyone is waiting to see whether Trump will 
reach trade deals with other countries that could lower his tariffs on imports, 
many of which are currently on pause.

   It's not just corporate America that's waiting. The Federal Reserve has been 
keeping its main interest rate on hold this year, with its latest such decision 
coming earlier this week, because it wants to see more data about how much 
tariffs will grind down on the economy and push up inflation.

   In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively stable. The yield on the 
10-year Treasury edged down to 4.37% from 4.38% late Wednesday. The two-year 
yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Fed will do, fell to 
3.90% from 3.94%.

   In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia.

   Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.2% after Japan reported that its core 
inflation rate, excluding volatile food prices, rose to 3.7% in May, adding to 
challenges for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government and the central bank.

   ___

   AP Writer Teresa Cerojano contributed.

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