Friday’s session in the S&P 500 index futures defied expectations of a high-flying weekly close, with sellers dominating as traders squared positions before the long weekend. 

Overnight, trading opened at a high of 6518 but it was all downhill from there. July’s Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data, released at 8:30 AM ET, met expectations at 2.6% PCE YoY and 2.9% Core PCE YoY, giving bulls a fleeting lift. Sellers seized control post-open, smashing through the premarket low just as August’s Chicago PMI disappointed at 41.5 versus 46.6 expected. Bulls eventually found traction near Wednesday’s low, bottoming at 6455.50, and held that line through a choppy day where neither side gained a clear edge.

The final minutes pulled the index from its lows, closing below the day’s midpoint at 6472.75, down 44.75 handles. For the week, that logged a 10.50-handle loss, or 0.16%, while August gained 98.5 handles, or 1.55%.

Market participants can look forward to a shortened week to begin September, with fedspeak, macro data, some earnings, and Friday’s jobs report to digest.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK.B) snagged the biggest win among top components, climbing $3.04, or 0.61%, to close at $502.98.

That outpaced the cash index’s 0.60% drop by over one percent. 

Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ: AVGO) slumped as the biggest loser, shedding $11.26, or 3.65%, to close at $297.39.