The U.S. stock market ended Friday’s trading, which was marked by volatility, mixed.

Despite the fact that the stock indices started the session on a positive note, they were declining throughout most of the trades. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average indices still managed to end the day in the green zone.

Participants of the US stock market welcomed the news of the key rate cut in China, which gave a positive impulse for investors at the beginning of the day.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC, the country’s central bank) unexpectedly lowered the five-year benchmark lending rate (LPR) by 15 basis points to 4.45% from 4.6%. The rate cut was the largest since the rate reform in 2019.

China has had to fight a new coronavirus outbreak over the past month and has been taking tough measures. This has triggered a drop in manufacturing and consumer activity in the country. The rate cut is expected to stimulate the country’s real estate market by lowering mortgage lending costs, MarketWatch also notes.

“We were worried about further upside, driven by the environment in China and monetary tightening in the US. So China’s actions have improved (investor) sentiment this morning. But we still need more evidence that the markets are in for a soft landing,” Pictet Asset Management analyst Arun Sai said.

Nevertheless, traders’ worries about future economic growth at one point in trading outweighed the morning’s optimism. The prospect of more Fed rate hikes could weigh on growth stocks, which have fueled the stock market’s rebound over the past few years. Against this backdrop, investors are opting to move money out of technology companies and into the real sector, The Wall Street Journal noted.

In the absence of fresh statistics on major economic indicators, investors have been following the ongoing corporate reporting season.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.03% to 31261.9 points by the end of trading. The index, however, ended with a decline for the eighth week in a row, the longest decline since 1932.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 0.01% to 3,901.36 points from the market’s opening. If the indicator ended trading with a drop, it would mean that it has fallen by more than 20% since the last peak in January, which allowed analysts to talk about the beginning of a “bearish” trend.

The Nasdaq Composite index was down 0.3 percent at 11,354.62 points.

The retailer of sportswear and footwear Foot Locker Inc. reduced net income by 34% in the first quarter, but the adjusted figure exceeded the experts’ forecast. The price of Foot Locker securities rose 4%.

The developer of cybersecurity solutions Palo Alto Networks Inc. cut its net loss in the third fiscal quarter in half. The company’s value jumped nearly 10%.

Real estate investment trust Rayonier Inc. will increase its quarterly dividend by 5.6% to 28.5 cents per share from 27 cents. Rayonier’s market value rose 1%.

Deere & Co. the world’s largest maker of farm equipment, increased net income in its fiscal second quarter by 17% and revenue by 11%, but sales of a key business fell short of forecasts. The company’s stock price fell 14%.

The chain of discount department stores Ross Stores Inc. in the last fiscal quarter decreased net income by 29%, while revenue was worse than market expectations. Ross Stores’ capitalization collapsed 22.5%.

Consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton Holding gave a forecast for the new fiscal year that did not meet the expectations of experts. Quotes of the company’s securities fell by 2.5%.