A Green Friday

Indices closed in green territory on Friday. Brands such as UnitedHealth, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Home Depot led the way up. Trading action was somewhat thin amid winter storm conditions in the Northeast region. Meanwhile, the Census Bureau said the U.S. trade deficit contracted to $38.5 billion in December from $48.7 billion in November. Economists were expecting the deficit to shrink to $46 billion. On another note, crude oil futures slipped by 11 cents to settle at $95.72 a barrel. Looking ahead, Cisco is set to release quarterly data next week.

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