Best week since April | Fauci on reopening | Biden: Recovery will take time

Stocks slipped on Friday but finished the week with big gains.

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE FRI, MAY 22, 2020 EVENING BRIEF AS OF FRI, MAY 22, 2020 • 04:19 ET DJIA 24465.16 -0.04% -8.96 S&P 500 2955.45 +0.24% +6.94 NASDAQ 9324.59 +0.43% +39.71   Most Active DOW NAME LAST CHG %CHG BA 137.53 -1.47 -1.06% MSFT 183.51 +0.08 +0.04% AAPL 318.89 +2.04 +0.64% S&P 500 NAME LAST CHG %CHG F 5.65 +0.02 +0.36% GE 6.41 -0.07 -1.08% NCLH 13.90 -0.13 -0.93% NASDAQ NAME LAST CHG %CHG UAL 25.40 -0.44 -1.70% AMD 55.17 +0.52 +0.95% SIRI 5.30 +0.11 +2.12% EDITOR'S NOTE America is partially reopening for business this Memorial Day weekend - ready or not.   The coronavirus pandemic is far from over, but realistically, lockdowns can only last so long. White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNBC on Friday that keeping stay-at-home orders in place for too long could lead to "irreparable damage."   "Now is the time, depending upon where you are and what your situation is, to begin to seriously look at reopening the economy, reopening the country to try to get back to some degree of normal," he said. Stocks were little changed on Friday, but finished the week with healthy gains. As states have eased their stay-at-home orders, the S&P 500 has nearly clawed its way back to its 200-day moving average - a recovery that few expected to see occur this swiftly.   Equities are on a different trajectory than the economy, thanks in large part to big tech companies that have thrived during the pandemic - such as Facebook and Amazon - as well as trillions of dollars in Federal Reserve programs. The economy, however, continues to suffer with more than 38 million Americans having filed unemployment claims during the pandemic.    An economic recovery is still a "long way away," former Vice President Joe Biden, the apparent Democratic presidential nominee, told CNBC on Friday. "The way to fix the economy," he said, "is get the public health response correct."    Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world. Al Lewis | CNBC Markets Editor @tellittoal TOP NEWS  Stocks close little changed, but Dow posts biggest weekly gain since April Dr. Anthony Fauci says staying closed for too long could cause 'irreparable damage' Economic recovery from coronavirus is a 'long way away,' Joe Biden says U.S.-China tensions could become a bigger headwind for the stock market Trump administration warms up to sending out more coronavirus relief money Track the latest coronavirus news here Gamblers pivot to stock trading during lockdowns - Barstool's Portnoy revives old E-Trade account 'Big Short' investor Michael Burry did a lot of buying during the market sell-off 'I think Amazon should start paying their taxes,' Joe Biden says Stimulus checks worked, many retailers say, but the bump may be short-lived     TOP VIDEO Watch CNBC's full interview with former Vice President Joe Biden   CNBC PRO Lone Pine Capital's Stephen Mandel is betting big on e-commerce and these other internet stocks   SPECIAL REPORTS This stock is the best opportunity among video game plays right now, traders say One key demographic is central to Beyond Meat's success, BTIG analyst says   Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS