Friday’s S&P 500 index futures session stretched the winning streak to four days with a modest grind higher, though persistent overhead supply capped upside and kept gains minimal. The index also resumed its habit of finishing the week at one extreme of the range.

Overnight action slowly tilted green. At 8:30 AM ET, delayed September personal income beat estimates (0.4% vs. 0.3%), but spending missed (0.3% vs. 0.4%). Core PCE landed roughly in line, with YoY slightly cooler than expected (2.8% vs. 2.9%). Bears briefly pressed to the session low of 6856.75, but dip-buyers, possibly pricing in next week’s anticipated rate cut, stepped in aggressively before the open.

The regular session saw brief opening chop before the rally resumed. A better-than-expected preliminary December consumer sentiment reading added fuel, pushing the index futures to a high of 6905. Momentum stalled near the psychological 6900 level, and once those bids gave way, the rest of the day chopped lower, testing support at unchanged and somewhat rebounding. 

Bulls defended Thursday’s close in the final minutes, with a last-second save preventing a red finish. The regular session closed near the midpoint at 6878.25, up 11.50 handles. For the week, the index futures eked out a meager 18.75 handle gain or 0.27%.

Next week holds Wednesday’s FOMC rate decision and Fed Chair Powell’s press conference, plus key earnings from Oracle Corp (NYSE: ORCL) Wednesday evening and Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO) Thursday evening.

Among top index components, Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO) emerged as the biggest gainer. The chip designer rose $9.21 or 2.42% to close at $390.24.

That performance was over a dozen times better than the cash index’s 0.19% advance.

The biggest loser was Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL). For the day, the tech giant slipped $1.92 or 0.68% to close at $278.78.