Friday’s session ended with gains. Brands such as Bank of America, Caterpillar, Home Depot, and United Technologies led the Dow’s advance. And on the Nasdaq, Apple climbed to an all-time high level. Stocks stepped up on a variety of economic news. Consumer confidence is up this month. The University of Michigan’s sentiment index for August registered a preliminary reading of 73.6, exceeding the consensus estimate of 72.3. Meanwhile, crude oil futures tacked on 41 cents to settle at $96.01 a barrel. Looking ahead to next week: Lowe’s, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell will release quarterly results.
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