The US stock market hit record highs on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closing at all-time highs, driven by strong technology earnings and optimism about possible US-Iran peace talks.
The rally came as investors balanced easing geopolitical fears with robust corporate results, particularly from chipmaker Intel, which helped push the Nasdaq sharply higher.
The Nasdaq Composite led Friday’s rally, rising 398.09 points, or 1.63%, to close at 24,836.60 as technology shares gained on stronger earnings sentiment.
The S&P 500 added 56.68 points, or 0.80%, to finish at 7,165.08, marking another record close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average moved the other way, falling 79.61 points, or 0.16%, to 49,230.71.
Intel’s results helped reinforce confidence in demand for AI-linked technology. Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, said the earnings season had started strongly and that Intel’s performance showed the AI boom remained intact.
For the week, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq logged modest gains, while the Dow ended lower than the previous Friday’s close.
Oil, Bonds and Global Markets Show Split Sentiment
Beyond Wall Street, markets showed a more mixed picture. Oil prices slipped on Friday as hopes for renewed US-Iran peace talks eased some supply fears, but crude remained sharply higher for the week.
US crude fell 1.51% to settle at $94.40 per barrel, while Brent crude settled at $105.33, down 0.25% on the day. The pullback followed reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had arrived in Pakistan to discuss proposals for restarting talks with the United States.
Bond markets also reflected cautious optimism. The US 10-year Treasury yield fell to 4.306%, while the two-year yield dropped to 3.78%, suggesting investors were reassessing near-term risk and interest-rate expectations.
Read: Oil Prices Jump as Iran Keeps Strait of Hormuz Closed
Global equities were uneven. The MSCI world index rose 0.51%, but Europe’s STOXX 600 fell 0.58% and logged a weekly decline as investors remained worried about energy supply disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict.
