U.S. stocks closed modestly lower last night, finishing an overall positive week on the downside as the quarterly "triple-witching" expiration of futures, stock options, and index options roiled trading volume. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 14 points Friday, or 0.1 percent, to 9,644. For the week, the index rose 173 points, or 1.8 percent, from 9,471. The Nasdaq fell 3.8 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,905. The tech-heavy index rose 50 points on the week, or 2.7 percent from last Friday's close of 1,855.
Market breadth was positive Friday on the New York Stock Exchange, with advancers narrowly outlasting decliners by 18 to 14. On the Nasdaq, advancers edged decliners by 16 to 15. Volume was about average, with 1.45 billion shares changing hands on the NYSE and 1.84 billion on the Nasdaq. Index futures, index options and options on stocks all expired Friday, in what's called triple witching on Wall Street. ///www.fxcentre.com