Stocks slip, notch weekly loss on US election nerves; crude oil gains
S&P 500 finish down, Nasdaq gains
Crude prices settle up 2%
Dollar index rises
Benchmark 10-year yields edge higher
Gold prices advance
Updates prices with US market close, adds comments in paragraphs 6-7, 15
By Chibuike Oguh
NEW YORK, Oct 25 (Reuters) -Global stocks slipped on Friday, finishing the week lower amid U.S. election jitters, while oil prices rose due to concerns about fighting in the Middle East.
Republican former President Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris are polling neck-and-neck in crucial swing states ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Investors are anxious about a contested result roiling world markets and unleashing fresh geopolitical uncertainty.
The benchmark S&P 500 ended slightly lower and closed the week down nearly 1%, driven by losses in utilities and financials as well as gains in technology and communication-services stocks. Nasdaq finished the week higher.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 0.61% to 42,114.40, the S&P 500 .SPX eased 0.03% to 5,808.12 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC rose 0.56% to 18,518.61.
The European shares index .STOXX ended down 0.03% after giving up gains in choppy trading and finished 1.2% lower for the week. Overnight in Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS closed lower by 0.02% but dropped nearly 2% for the week.
"The market is still somewhat choppy and part of that is we were up six weeks in a row and up 10 out of 11 months and right now the market, after that big run, is facing these interest rates that are staying a little bit higher," said Keith Lerner, co-chief investment officer at Truist Advisory Services in Atlanta.
"Historically, the volatility in an election year tends to spike in October. We haven't seen a spike, but it's very normal for markets to get more jittery into the election."
Brent crude futures LCOc1 settled up 2.25% at $76.05 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 settled up 2.27% to $71.78. Both crude futures finished the week up about 4%.
U.S. Treasury yields edged higher as investors wait on key employment data next week for fresh clues on the likely path of Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.
Traders are pricing in near-95% odds of a 25-basis-point cut at the Fed's November meeting, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes US10YT=RR rose 3.8 basis points to 4.24%.
The dollar advanced and was set for a fourth weekly gain against Japan's yen, as an uncertain backdrop for markets sent the yen near three-month lows ahead of an election in Japan over the weekend.
The dollar JPY=EBS strengthened 0.26% against the yen to 152.22. Against the Swiss franc CHF=, the dollar strengthened 0.08% to 0.866. The euro EUR=EBS, however, was down 0.29% at $1.0796. Sterling GBP= weakened 0.08% to $1.2961.
The dollar index =USD, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, rose 0.24% to 104.30.
Gold prices rose in choppy trading after retreating from record highs. Spot gold XAU= rose 0.28% to $2,743.31 an ounce. U.S. gold futures GCcv1 settled 0.2% higher at $2,754.60. Prices had hit an all-time high of $2,758.37 on Wednesday.
"Over time, interest rates, inflation and the economy are the leading factors that affect the stock market," said Tom Plumb, CEO and portfolio manager at Plumb Funds in Madison, Wisconsin.
"But in the short run, there's no question that this is a market being bounced around by political developments and expectations, and the general perception that Trump would be better for the markets than Harris."
World FX rates YTD http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Hugh Lawson and Rod Nickel
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