Stocks Ended Little Changed, Nasdaq at New Record

U.S. stocks ended little changed on Friday, with the Nasdaq closed at a fresh record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 5.27 points, or 0.03%, to 19,885.73, for a weekly decline of 0.4%. The S&P 500 was up 4.20 points, or 0.18%, to 2,274.64, for a weekly of decline of 0.1%. The Nasdaq Composite gained 26.63 points, or 0.5%, to 5,574.12, for its sixth record in seven sessions and a weekly gain of 1%.

Oil futures settled with a losses on Friday to tally a weekly decline of 3% as traders expressed doubts over compliance with the output-cut agreement. February West Texas Intermediate crude fell by 64 cents, or 1.2%, to settle at $52.37 a barrel. March Brent crude shed 56 cents, or 1%, to $55.45 a barrel.

America’s big banks are laying out their base case to Washington. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo all generated enough profit to beat estimates in the fourth quarter.

The Environmental Protection Agency rejected a bid by automakers to roll back fuel efficiency standards that would sharply increase mileage by 2025, saying that the auto companies possess the technology and financial resources to meet the targets set by the Obama administration.