The leading indices on the New York stock exchange closed the trading week with falling prices. However, the movements were small.
On Friday, the US Labor Department released new job figures. The report showed that the number of jobs had increased significantly more than expected. A strong American economy reduces the likelihood of rapid interest rate cuts. As a result, market interest rates rose, for example, the rate on 10-year government bonds rose to 4.43 percent.
The so-called meme stock Gamestop, a video game retail chain, presented poor sales figures and the stock plummeted nearly 40 percent.
The broad S&P 500 index fell 0.1 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Index and the Nasdaq Composite Index both fell 0.2 percent.
Looking at the past week, the Dow Jones rose 0.3 percent, the S&P 500 rose 1.3 percent, and the Nasdaq increased 2.4 percent.
