Finance

Despite the overall market rebound, sticky core inflation figures accelerated expectations for tighter monetary policy. The core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.3% over the month, driving market probabilities of a quarter-point interest rate increase at the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting to well over 80%.

The intraday surge in equity markets was heavily supported by a cooling of energy costs. Both Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude futures recorded notable pullbacks from recent multi-month highs, offering consumers and businesses relief after localized geopolitical tensions and soaring fuel prices had previously amplified economic pressures.

Tech shares spearheaded Friday's upward movement inside the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composites. Major hardware and enterprise software firms, including Dell and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, experienced significant share price surges after robust corporate earnings reports reinforced strong commercial interest in artificial intelligence infrastructure scaling.