RPT-US STOCKS-S&P 500 ends higher as traders weigh stimulus and virus worries

(Repeats with graphic link)
* Netflix tumbles as subscriber growth forecast disappoints
* BlackRock rises on profit boost
* Indexes: Dow -0.2%, S&P 500 +0.3%, Nasdaq +0.3%

By Noel Randewich
July 17 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 ended higher on Friday as
investors weighed the prospect of more fiscal stimulus against
fears of further business disruptions due to a record rise in
COVID-19 cases.
Netflix NFLX.O tumbled 6.5% after the video streaming
service forecast slower-than-expected subscriber growth during
the third quarter, pulling the communication services sector
.SPLRCL down 0.4%. The S&P 500 utilities .SPLRCU , real estate .SPLRCR and
healthcare .SPXHC indexes were the session's strongest
gainers.
However, a 1.5% drop in Goldman Sachs GS.N helped keep the
Dow in negative territory.
For the week, the S&P 500 and the Dow rose 1.2% and 2.3%,
respectively, after optimism over an eventual coronavirus
vaccine and hopes of a post-pandemic economic recovery helped
investors look past a continuous surge in COVID-19 cases. The
United States witnessed 77,000 new infections on Thursday.
The Nasdaq ended 1.1% lower for the week as investors sold
shares of high-flying companies including Microsoft Corp
MSFT.O and Amazon.com Inc AMZN.O and moved into cyclical
sectors.
(Graphic showing each S&P 500 component's performance for
the week: graphics.reuters.com/USA-STOCKS/WEEK/rlgpdldzdpo/ )
Next week, second-quarter earnings season shifts into high
gear with reports expected from corporate heavyweights including
Microsoft MSFT.O , Tesla TSLA.O , Intel INTC.O and Verizon
Communications VZ.N .
With this year largely written off as a disaster for U.S.
corporations because of the coronavirus, investors are looking
for information from companies about the potential size and
timing of an eventual recovery.
“The question is what 2021 and 2022 look like, and what can
folks glean from the commentary, especially when companies have
withdrawn their guidance and made it difficult to get a sense of
what their prospects look like,” said Tom Hainlin, National
Investment Strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.
The Cboe Volatility Index .VIX , known as Wall Street's
"fear gauge," ended at 25.68, its lowest closing level since
June 5.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 0.23% to end at
26,672.36 points, while the S&P 500 .SPX gained 0.29% to
3,224.75.
The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC climbed 0.28% to 10,503.19.
Unprecedented stimulus measures and improving economic data
have helped the S&P 500 rise to within about 5% of its February
record high.
Investors are also hoping for more fiscal support as a
program that offers additional unemployment benefits is set to
expire on July 31. The U.S. Congress will return to Washington
on Monday to debate another coronavirus aid bill. "Both Republicans and Democrats have a strong incentive to
agree upon further pre-election stimulus. It's not a matter of
'if' a stimulus passes, it's just what the size and content of
that package looks like," said Andrea Bevis, senior vice
president, UBS Private Wealth Management, based in Boston.
BlackRock Inc BLK.N , the world's largest asset manager,
rose 3.7% after reporting a jump in quarterly profit as
investors poured money into its fixed-income funds and cash
management services. Volume on U.S. exchanges was 9.5 billion shares, compared
with the 11.6 billion average for the full session over the last
20 trading days.
Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a
1.43-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.50-to-1 ratio favored advancers.
The S&P 500 posted 39 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the
Nasdaq Composite recorded 89 new highs and 11 new lows.

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Every S&P 500 stock's performance this week https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-STOCKS/WEEK/rlgpdldzdpo/
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(Reportig by Noel Randewich; Additional reporting by Devik Jain
and Medha Singh in Bengaluru
Editing by Marguerita Choy)