Dow Jones Industrial Average trims gains on Friday but still green for the week

• The Dow Jones eased somwhat on Friday, testing into 44,300.
• Despite a quiet end to the week, equities are poised for strong bullish closes.
• US PMI data came in more mixed than expected, to little effect.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) churned into a soft backpedal on Friday, testing down around 200 points on a slow trading day. The Dow Jones is capping off an otherwise firmly bullish week, with the index gaining around 2.3% from Monday’s opening bids. The DJIA has gained ground for the second week in a row, firmly hinting that the bull market is back after a six-week backslide.

President Donald Trump stoked the flames of pro-equity sentiment this week by not instituting the day-one tariffs he promised on the campaign trail. He also announced this week that he would “demand” lower interest rates from the Federal Reserve (Fed) and plans to request a drop in oil prices from Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).