US STOCKS-Nasdaq ends higher on Amazon boost but hawkish Fed tone tempers enthusiasm

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Oct 31 (Reuters) - The Nasdaq ended with more pronounced gains than the S&P 500 and the Dow on Friday with a strong boost from Amazon's upbeat earnings forecast, but investor moods were dampened by worries that the Federal Reserve is becoming more cautious about cutting rates

Amazon AMZN.O shares rallied sharply, hitting an all-time high after the online retailer forecast quarterly sales above estimates. Apple's AAPL.O share move was more subdued after its forecast for iPhone holiday quarter sales surpassed Wall Street expectations but CEO Tim Cook flagged supply constraints.

In remarks that cooled investor hopes for policy easing, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said on Friday that a December rate cut was not locked in despite market expectations for a cut. And Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack said she had opposed Wednesday's rate cut because inflation is too high.

On Friday, traders were pricing in a 63% probability of a December rate cut, down from 72.8% on Thursday, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool.

"The theme today is pretty similar to what we saw yesterday. It's earnings coming in a little better than expected but tempered by a little more hawkish commentary from the Fed," said James Ragan, co-CIO and director of investment management research at D.A. Davidson.

Jake Seltz, portfolio manager for the Empiric LT Equity team at Allspring, said investors "may have gotten in front of their skis" in their bets for lower rates.

Some grocery stocks traded lower on Friday on worries about a dip in November sales if federal food aid benefits, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, lapse in the ongoing government shutdown.

Two federal judges ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump's administration cannot suspend food aid for millions of Americans during the ongoing government shutdown, saying the government must use contingency funds to pay for the benefits. But shares of grocer Kroger KR.N, food supplier Conagra Brands CAG.N and retail giant Walmart WMT.N were still down after the rulings.

According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 18.12 points, or 0.29%, to end at 6,841.83 points, while the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC gained 144.74 points, or 0.61%, to 23,725.89. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 40.01 points, or 0.08%, to 47,562.13.

Of the 315 S&P 500 companies that have reported third-quarter results so far, 83.2% have surpassed analysts' estimates, according to LSEG data. That is well above the historical average, where roughly 67% of firms beat forecasts.

With a lack of economic data from the government due to the month-long shutdown, Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital, said investors were keenly focused on earnings reports.

"The government isn't giving us the data that we have become dependent on, so we're using companies as we should by the way for guidance about how the economy is going," she said.

In other moves, Warner Bros Discovery WBD.O rose following a Reuters report that Netflix NFLX.O was actively exploring a bid for the company's studio and streaming business.

Netflix rose after it unveiled plans for a 10-for-1 stock split.

Western Digital WDC.O rallied to an all-time high after forecasting quarterly earnings above Wall Street estimates. And Solar panel maker First Solar FSLR.O shares surged after surpassing expectations for third-quarter sales.