US stocks end little changed before long weekend

Market Overview - U.S. stocks ended nearly flat on Friday, with all three major indexes posting losses for the week as the fourth-quarter earnings season began [9][10] - The S&P 500 was down 0.38% for the week, the Nasdaq declined 0.66%, and the Dow fell 0.29% [5][10] Sector Performance - Healthcare sector fell 0.8%, leading declines among S&P 500 sectors [10] - Shares of chipmakers rose, with the semiconductor index gaining 1.2% [10] - The financial sector ended up 0.1% on Friday but experienced its largest weekly percentage decline since October due to concerns over a proposed cap on credit card interest rates [10] Earnings Season Insights - Big U.S. banks reported mostly solid results, indicating a generally favorable economic backdrop [4][10] - Upcoming earnings reports from major companies like Netflix, Johnson & Johnson, and Intel are anticipated to provide further insights into fundamental conditions [5][10] Market Dynamics - Investors showed caution ahead of the long weekend, with the stock market closed on Monday [6][10] - There was a shift of money from heavyweight tech stocks to more undervalued areas, with mid- and small-cap stocks outperforming the S&P 500 [7][10] - The small-cap Russell 2000 reached a record closing high, gaining 2.04% for the week [7][10] Trading Activity - Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.19-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, with 423 new highs and 64 new lows [8][10] - On the Nasdaq, 2,034 stocks rose while 2,719 fell, resulting in a 1.34-to-1 ratio of declining issues to advancers [9][10] - U.S. exchanges saw a trading volume of 18.77 billion shares, above the 20-day average of 16.85 billion shares [9][10]