NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks finished the week with minor gains on Friday as investors were encouraged by a dip in inflation, and expectations of the economy have a soft landing.

"We have this balance right now between a lower inflation outlook and a better interest rate trajectory ... juxtaposed against a slowing economy," sYung-Yu Ma, chief investment officer at BMO Wealth Management told Reuters Friday.

In the stock market's closing session on Friday, various major indexes experienced slight fluctuations. Here's a summary of the closing quotes:

S&P 500 (^GSPC):

The S&P 500 closed at 4,515.63, registering a gain of 7.39 points, equivalent to an increase of 0.16 percent.

Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI):

The Dow Jones Industrial Average concluded the day at 34,961.87, with a minimal increase of 16.40 points, or 0.05 percent.

NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC):

The NASDAQ Composite finished at 14,132.32 Friday, showing a modest gain of 18.65 points, or 0.13 percent.

Investors closely monitored these movements as they assessed the impact of economic data releases, corporate earnings reports, and global geopolitical events on the stock market. The slight upticks across these key indexes suggest a relatively calm end to the trading week, with traders navigating the market with caution.

Market activity was characterized by varying volumes, with the S&P 500 seeing a turnover of 1.366 billion shares Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average with 206.225 million shares, and the NASDAQ Composite at 2.855 billion shares.

These subtle market shifts underscore the ongoing balance of market forces as participants weigh economic indicators and external factors in their investment decisions. As the week concludes, market analysts anticipate continued vigilance and strategic positioning in response to the evolving economic landscape.

Global Forex Market Update: Friday's Currency Exchange Rates

In the world's foreign exchange markets on Friday, major currency pairs exhibited varied movements. Here's a roundup of the latest quotes:

EURUSD - Euro / US Dollar:

The euro to U.S. Dollar pair (EURUSD) settled at 1.0896 in late U.S.trading Friday, marking a modest gain of 0.41 percent, equivalent to an increase of 0.0044.

USDJPY - US Dollar / Japanese Yen:

The Japanese Yen pair (USDJPY) advanced to 149.67, experiencing gain of 1.04 or 0.69 percent.

USDCAD - US Dollar / Canadian Dollar:

The Canadian Dollar pair (USDCAD) edged up 0.25 percent or 0.0034 Friday to 1.3719.

GBPUSD - British Pound / US Dollar:

The British pound added 0.0033 or 0.27 percent to 1.2447.

USDCHF - US Dollar / Swiss Franc:

The Swiss Franc pair (USDCHF) climbed to 0.8856, a gain of 0.0030 or 0.34 percent.

AUDUSD - Australian Dollar / US Dollar:

The Australian dollar was in demand Friday, rising 0.0042 or 0.65 percent to 0.6510.

NZDUSD - New Zealand Dollar / US Dollar:

The New Zealand Dollar added 0.0013 or 0.23 percent to 0.5984.

Global Stock Markets Report: Friday's Closing Quotes

Stocks moved in both directions around the world Friday, but in the end most of the major indices recorded highs.

CANADA

S&P/TSX Composite index (^GSPTSE): Canada's S&P/TSX Composite index closed at 20,195.75, marking an increase of 142.68 points, equivalent to a rise of 0.71 percent.

UNITED KINGDOM

FTSE 100 (UK): The FTSE 100 closed at 7,504.25, recording a gain of 93.28 points, equivalent to an increase of 1.26 percent.

EUROPE

DAX PERFORMANCE-INDEX (Germany): Germany's DAX closed at 15,919.16, reflecting a rise of 132.55 points, or 0.84 percent.

CAC 40 (France): The CAC 40 in France on Friday saw an increase of 65.51 points, closing at 7,233.91, marking a gain of 0.91 percent.

ESTX 50 PR.EUR (Eurozone): The Eurozone's ESTX 50 PR.EUR closed at 4,340.77, up by 38.32 points, indicating a growth of 0.89 percent.

Euronext 100 Index: The Euronext 100 Index rose by 11.87 points to close at 1,347.96, an increase of 0.89 percent.

BEL 20 (Belgium): Belgium's BEL 20 index gained 28.06 points, closing at 3,534.47, reflecting a growth of 0.80 percent.

ASIA

Nikkei 225 (Japan): Japan's Nikkei 225 closed at 33,585.20 Friday, recording a gain of 160.79 points, equivalent to a 0.48 percent increase.

HANG SENG INDEX (Hong Kong): The HANG SENG INDEX experienced a decline of 378.63 points, closing at 17,454.19, indicating a decrease of 2.12 percent.

SSE Composite Index (Shanghai): China's SSE Composite Index closed at 3,054.37, gaining 3.44 points, or 0.11 percent.

Shenzhen Index: The Shenzhen Index in China increased by 25.29 points, closing at 9,979.69, reflecting a growth of 0.25 percent.

KOSPI Composite Index (South Korea): South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index closed at 2,469.85 Friday, marking a decrease of 18.33 points, equivalent to a decline of 0.74 percent.

TSEC weighted index (Taiwan): Taiwan's TSEC weighted index closed at 17,208.95, experiencing an increase of 37.77 points, or 0.22 percent.

FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (Malaysia): Malaysia's FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI closed at 1,460.67, experiencing a decrease of 4.01 points, or 0.27 percent.

S&P BSE SENSEX (India): India's S&P BSE SENSEX closed at 65,794.73, experiencing a decline of 187.75 points, or 0.28 percent.

NIFTY 50 (India): India's NIFTY 50 closed at 19,731.80 Friday, recording a decrease of 33.40 points, equivalent to a decline of 0.17 percent.

RUSSIA

MOEX Russia Index: Russia's MOEX Russia Index closed at 2,222.51, marking a slight decrease of 4.14 points, equivalent to a decline of 0.19 percent.

OCEANIA

AXJO S&P/ASX 200 (Australia): Down Under the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 9.00 points or 0.13 percent to close Friday at 7,049.40.

AORD ALL ORDINARIES (Australia): Meantime the Australian All Ordinaries dipped 8.50 points or 0.12 percent to see out the week at 7,261.

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS (New Zealand): New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS closed at 11,176.97 Friday, reflecting a decrease of 53.90 points, or 0.48 percent.

AFRICA

JNOU.JO TOP 40 USD Net TRI Index: In Johannesburg, South Africa, the Top 40 USD Net TRI Index edged up 3.64 points or 0.09 percent to close Friday at 3,976.63.

(Photo credit: Big News Network news agency).