US close: Stocks end session lower despite 'certain positive shifts' in ceasefire talks

Wall Street closed lower on Friday despite news that ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine may be picking up steam.

At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.69% at 32,944.12 and the S&P 500 was 1.30% firmer at 4,204.31, while the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 2.18% weaker at 12,843.81.

The Dow closed 229.88 points lower on Friday, extending losses recorded in the previous session as investors digested key inflation data that revealed consumer prices had climbed further.

The Dow Jones and S&P 500 registered early gains on Friday after Reuters published a brief report that quoted Vladimir Putin as having said that "certain positive shifts" had occurred in the talks between the two nations.

However, with US-Russia tensions also heating up, stocks headed south after president Joe Biden called for an end to Moscow's status as a 'most favoured nation' trade partner and Congress passed a funding bill that included almost $14.0bn in aid for Ukraine.

On the macro front, a preliminary reading of March's University of Michigan consumer sentiment index revealed a drop from 62.8 in February to 59.7 at the start of March, a larger than expected drop for the lowest reading since November 2011. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, heightened commodity prices and surging inflation all weighed on the index.

No major corporate earnings were released on Friday.

Dow Jones - Risers

McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $226.87 2.19%
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $214.93 1.44%
Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $173.70 1.07%
Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $228.85 0.84%
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $78.22 0.48%
Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $60.92 0.46%
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $57.88 0.07%
Chevron Corp. (CVX) $170.90 0.05%
Honeywell International Inc. (HON) $230.94 0.00%
Dowdupont Inc. (DWDP) $30.52 0.00%

Dow Jones - Fallers

Nike Inc. (NKE) $122.63 -2.70%
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $154.73 -2.39%
JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $128.89 -2.25%
3M Co. (MMM) $140.96 -2.06%
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $280.07 -1.93%
Intel Corp. (INTC) $45.83 -1.78%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $482.87 -1.74%
Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $131.75 -1.41%
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $47.44 -1.31%
Boeing Co. (BA) $176.23 -1.21%

S&P 500 - Risers

LyondellBasell Industries (LYB) $103.37 3.70%
Deere & Co. (DE) $389.59 3.00%
Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) $91.66 2.33%
NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) $38.50 2.20%
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $226.87 2.19%
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $50.27 2.17%
Travel + Leisure Co (TNL) $53.60 1.97%
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN) $642.58 1.94%
Quanta Services Inc. (PWR) $123.27 1.88%
NetApp Inc. (NTAP) $84.10 1.79%

S&P 500 - Fallers

Align Technology Inc. (ALGN) $400.67 -6.84%
Abiomed Inc. (ABMD) $286.79 -6.16%
Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN) $72.32 -5.50%
Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) $416.38 -5.14%
Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) $82.73 -5.08%
Idexx Laboratories Inc. (IDXX) $498.08 -5.03%
Netflix Inc. (NFLX) $340.32 -4.61%
Macy's Inc. (M) $23.65 -4.52%
eBay Inc. (EBAY) $50.06 -4.39%
Discovery Inc. Class C (DISCK) $23.97 -4.35%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN) $642.58 1.94%
Amgen Inc. (AMGN) $228.85 0.84%
T-Mobile Us, Inc. (TMUS) $124.57 0.83%
Incyte Corp. (INCY) $73.94 0.64%
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. (CTSH) $88.04 0.43%
Cerner Corp. (CERN) $93.40 0.43%
Expedia Group Inc. (EXPE) $179.31 0.22%
Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) $58.00 0.14%
Liberty Global plc Series A (LBTYA) $24.22 0.04%
Xilinx Inc. (XLNX) $194.92 0.00%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers

Baidu Inc. (BIDU) $118.92 -12.02%
Trip.com Group Limited (TCOM) $19.37 -8.72%
JD.com, Inc. (JD) $47.99 -8.63%
Align Technology Inc. (ALGN) $400.67 -6.84%
Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN) $72.32 -5.50%
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (CHKP) $134.16 -5.47%
Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) $416.38 -5.14%
Tesla Inc (TSLA) $795.35 -5.12%
Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) $82.73 -5.08%
Idexx Laboratories Inc. (IDXX) $498.08 -5.03%