Finance

The tech sector faced persistent downward pressure due to widespread anxiety regarding massive capital expenditures in artificial intelligence. Major memory and semiconductor stocks fell sharply, with Sandisk tumbling roughly 11% and Micron Technology dropping 7%. Concerns over immediate returns on high AI spending continue to heavily weigh down hyperscalers and tech-heavy indexes.

After surging past the $100 per barrel threshold earlier in the week, Brent crude futures pulled back nearly 4% to settle at $96.78. The drop was fueled by potential routes toward new diplomatic peace talks involving Pakistan, Iran, and the United States. This energy pull-back offered some immediate relief to government bond yields and equity markets concerned about inflation.

Government bond yields experienced a slight correction to end the week, with the 10-year Treasury yield edging down to 4.678%. Investors had previously driven yields to the highest levels seen in the current presidential term amid fears of energy-driven inflation. Market participants are keeping a close watch on bonds as the probability of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike next week remains on the table.