Dow Inches Up in Black Friday Trading

Market Performance - U.S. stocks experienced modest gains on Friday, with the Dow industrials, Nasdaq composite, and S&P 500 rising by 0.4% or less in morning trading [1] - Technology companies, particularly Alphabet and chip makers like Micron Technology and Intel, saw larger gains [1] Nasdaq Performance - Despite the gains, the Nasdaq composite is on track to record its first monthly loss since March, down approximately 2.1% for the month due to concerns about an AI bubble [2] CME Group Outage - CME Group's derivatives markets reopened at 8:30 a.m. ET after a disruption caused by cooling problems at a key data center, which had prevented trading in futures and options [3] Global Market Trends - Global markets showed little change, with the Stoxx Europe 600 inching higher, Japan's Nikkei 225 increasing by 0.2%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declining by 0.3% [4] Federal Reserve Expectations - Markets anticipate that the Federal Reserve will cut benchmark interest rates again in December, following indications of a cooling labor market [4] Currency and Bitcoin Trends - The dollar remained steady against a basket of currencies after a previous decline, while Bitcoin rose above $92,000, recovering from a drop below $81,000 [5]