Wall Street ended higher on Friday as investors shifted their focus to next week, with third-quarter earnings season set to start and inflation data expected, which could shed light on the Federal Reserve's next policy decision.
All three major US stock indexes advanced on the day, logging weekly gains. The small-cap Russell 2000, however, ended lower than last Friday's close.
"It's the kind of back-and-forth market we've been in where we have the reversal of sentiment around Iran," said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird in Louisville, Kentucky. "With conflicting headlines coming out of the White House and parties in the Middle East, there's just no edge there."
"That's why it's a fairly tepid rally," Mayfield added.
Crude prices initially retreated after President Donald Trump said the US will not launch any attacks on Iran before the midterm elections, adding that talks between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the market-rattling Iran war were "productive."