US equity markets edged higher in what was another muted session to conclude the week as investors assessed mixed earnings from corporate America and political negotiations over the country’s debt ceiling - Dow added +22-points or +0.07%, The broader S&P500 edged +0.09% higher, with the Consumer Discretionary (up +1.20%) leading six of the eleven primary sectors higher. The Materials (down -0.90%) and Energy (-0.59%) sectors sat at the foot of the primary sector leaderboard on Friday (21 April). The Nasdaq +0.11%. Meta Platforms Inc dipped -0.08% after Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg reportedly said the company may not be through laying off workers, as its latest round of 4,000 landed this week and another batch looms for Ma. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 +0.10%.
