Finance

Fixed-income pressure eased slightly as benchmark government borrowing costs retreated from their multi-year high points. The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury fell back toward 5.27% after recently hitting its highest levels in decades due to persistent inflation anxieties and robust domestic economic performance.

Energy prices declined as Brent crude dropped roughly 2% to trade near $98 a barrel, giving equities an inflationary reprieve. Increased oil shipments out of the Middle East and alternative international diesel releases helped calm supply disruption fears, allowing prices to cool from recent triple-digit thresholds.

Shares of nuclear power providers and energy infrastructure firms experienced a significant bump following a major commercial energy agreement between Constellation Energy Corporation and Google. The clean energy deal highlights the growing demand for dedicated utility infrastructure to support expanding artificial intelligence data operations.