U.S. stocks end volatile week lower

The U.S. stock market ended a volatile week on a down note Friday, with strategists blaming the slide in part on December's jobs report that revealed a drop in wages. 


The S&P 500 SPX, -0.84% closed 17.32 points, or 0.8%, lower at 2,044.81, ending the first week of 2015 with a 0.7% loss. 

Dollar falls Friday, but still manages a weekly gain

The ICE U.S. Dollar Index moved lower Friday as a contraction in hourly wage growth in December caused investors to delay their expectations for when the Federal Reserve will begin raising its benchmark interest rate.

The dollar index, DXY, -0.43% a measure of the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six rival currencies, was down 0.46% to 91.9450.

The dollar USDJPY, +0.00%  was at ¥118.50, compared with ¥119.65 late Thursday in New York. The euro EURUSD, +0.00%  was at $1.1839, from $1.1788.

The pound GBPUSD, +0.00%  rose slightly against the dollar, moving back above the $1.51 level after U.K. manufacturing output recorded strong growth in December.

Palladium Market Update

Palladium for March PAH5, +1.31%  delivery rose $7.05 to $800.15 an ounce, while April platinum PLJ5, +0.86%  gained $7.10 to $1,230.10 an ounce. High-grade copper for March delivery HGH5, -0.36%  fell a penny to $2.75 a pound.

Heating Oil Market Update

February heating oil HOG5, -0.37%  fell 80 cents to $1.7030 a gallon on Nymex, amassing weekly losses of 5.2%. February natural gas NGG15, +1.26%  rose 2 cents to finish at $2.9460 per million British thermal units, but lost 2% on the week.

Gasoline Market Update

February gasoline RBG5, -1.51%  slipped nearly 2 cents, or 1.3%, to settle at $1.3232 a gallon on the Nymex. That was the lowest settlement for gasoline futures since March 11, 2009. Gasoline futures ended the week down 7.7%.