Finance

Crude oil prices fluctuated heavily following reports of attacks on shipping vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. Although prices temporarily stabilized late in the week when the U.S. executive administration indicated no imminent plans for military strikes before the upcoming midterm elections, Brent crude remained elevated well above the $100 per barrel mark. This ongoing regional unrest continues to exert upward pressure on commodity markets and sovereign bond yields.

Technology and semiconductor stocks staged a recovery toward the end of the week, shaking off anxieties brought on by reports that OpenAI's annualized revenue fell short of previous estimations. Despite a significant sell-off earlier in the week and some high-profile setbacks—such as an Nvidia-backed cloud firm canceling its planned initial public offering in Australia—investors ultimately reassessed the sector, allowing the tech-heavy Nasdaq to log its fourth consecutive weekly gain.

Delta Air Lines reported third-quarter financial results that fell short of Wall Street estimates, snapping a two-year streak of meeting expectations. The carrier was forced to downgrade its full-year profit outlook for 2026, primarily due to the severe impact of sustained high jet fuel costs. Despite robust underlying consumer demand and a 15% year-over-year increase in adjusted revenue, the stock faced notable headwinds.