*By Kristen Lee*
Stocks closed sharply lower on Friday, closing out a roller-coaster week on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed nearly 300 points lower, while the S&P lost 1.7 percent and the Nasdaq ended down 2.1 percent.
Early Friday, the Dow plunged by as much as 539 points, before paring its losses after authorities announced the arrest of a man in connection with the mail bombing of prominent Democrats. Cesar Sayoc, Jr., a 56-year-old Florida resident lives in Aventura and has a criminal record, according to the Broward County Sheriff.
Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley FBR, said a "mixed bag" of earnings ー and specifically, weak guidance from bellwether tech companies Amazon and Alphabet ー are weighing on the markets.
Amazon's ($AMZN) closed about 8 percent lower on Friday after it posted better-than-expected earnings, but fell short on revenue and guidance.
Google parent Alphabet ($GOOGL) ended the day nearly 2 percent lower after reporting a jump in profits but also indicated slowing growth.
"In this earnings season, with a market that's very nervous about a whole host of things, you have to hit all three: you have to get your earnings right, your revenue right, and you have to give upbeat guidance ー and when you don't, especially in the case of either Amazon or Alphabet, you're in trouble," Hogan said Friday in an interview on Cheddar.
He said the mail bomb threat transfixing the nation is also having an impact. Every significant case of terrorism, and especially domestic terrorism, has cast a pall over the markets and prompted many to stop making investment decisions, Hogan added.
"It puts everybody in a very nervous place," he said. "And \[until\] we get answers, it's very difficult to have a robust feeling about what's going on in the economy and the markets."
Federal health officials are expanding an investigation into potentially lead-tainted pouches of apple cinnamon fruit puree marketed for children amid reports of more illnesses and additional product recalls.
Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by businessman Warren Buffett, reported its operating earnings in its most recent quarter jumped more than 40% from a year ago but posted its first net quarterly loss in a year.
Maks Chmerkovskiy and wife Peta Murgatroyd, of "Dancing With the Stars" fame, are branching out into skincare.
Donald Trump began testifying Monday morning in his civil fraud trial, producing the spectacle of a former president and the leading Republican presidential candidate defending himself against allegations that he dramatically inflated his net worth.
The trial between Google and the maker of the game Fortnite will begin Monday as a San Francisco jury will hear Epic Games' case claiming the Google Play Store takes an unfair commission on purchases made through apps.
One of the most self-made and success stories in the country, Emma Grede, has worked along with the Kardashian Jenner family on many of their best-known brands. Grede, CEO and co-founder of Good American, gave back to the next generation of business leaders as a featured speaker at the Chase for Business Make Your Move summit last week. She spoke with Cheddar News about her career, her company's fashion brand, working with the famous Kardashian-Jennifer family and balancing her own family life.
Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by businessman Warren Buffett, reported its operating earnings in its most recent quarter jumped more than 40% from a year ago but posted its first net quarterly loss in a year.
Elon Musk's company XaI has announced a new chatbot called Grok.
SAG-AFTRA said over the weekend that it received the studios' last best and final offer following a meeting on Saturday, with the union saying it's reviewing it and considering a response "within the context of the critical issues addressed in our proposals."
Stocks rose slightly as Wall Street looks to continue its momentum with earnings season winding down.
