Stocks got volatile results Friday and got mixed results as investors got a breather after the Dow Jones industrial average got its first three day winning streak since late April. It closed down 114.89 points to 14,909.60 after getting 385 points the past three days.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index closed down 6.92 points to 1,606.28. It got its first monthly loss since October. The index finished June with its best first half of a year since 1998, when it increased 17.7 percent with dividends. The index got 13.8 percent increase so far in 2013.
The mixed economic data curbed buying as a vital measure of consumer confidence remained near its peak level in six years. But at the same time, an index of business in the Chicago area got its largest monthly drop since 2008.
In commodities trading, gold increased $18.20 to close at $1,229.60 per ounce. Benchmark oil for August delivery declined 58 cents to $95.03 a barrel.
The yield on the 10 year Treasury note increased 2.48 percent from 2.47 percent Thursday. The yield dropped as low as 1.63 percent last month. Treasury yields helped set borrowing costs for several consumer and business loans.
In Europe, the major indexes dropped on the last trading day of the month and quarter. Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 27.93 points to close at 6,215.47. Germany’s DAX closed down 31.53 points to 7,959.22. France’s CAC 40 declined 23.38 points to 3,738.91.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index increased 463.77 points to 13,677.32. South Korea’s Kospi went up 1.6 percent to 1,863.34. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 363.21 points to 20,803.29. France’s CAC 40 closed down 23.38 points to 3,738.91.
