Stocks Ended Mixed, Oil Futures Settled Lower

U.S. stocks ended mixed on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posting modest gains while the Dow fell, as investors monitored a continued rise in COVID-19 cases. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 62.76 points, or 0.23%, to 26,671.95. The S&P 500 rose 9.16 points, or 0.28%, to 3,224.73. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 29.36 points, or 0.28%, to 10,503.19. For the week, the Dow gained 2.3%, the S&P 500 advanced 1.3%, while the Nasdaq saw 1.1% decline.

Oil futures ended lower Friday, as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to rise in the U.S. and around the world, adding to uncertainty over the outlook for crude demand. West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery fell by 16 cents, or 0.4% to settle at $40.59 a barrel. September Brent crude declined by 23 cents, or 0.5% at $43.14 a barrel. For the week, WTI crude rose 0.1%, or 4 cents a barrel, while Brent declined 0.2%, or by a dime.