Finance

Despite a strong positive finish to the trading week on Friday, the major stock indexes presented a mixed weekly performance. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite secured its third consecutive weekly gain, rising 0.5% and reaching an all-time record high, driven by technology leadership. Conversely, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 logged weekly declines of 1.3% and 0.3%, respectively.

Crude oil futures experienced downward pressure over the week, finishing 1.53% lower after the G-7 and European nations reached an agreement to address energy markets. The international group authorized the release of 100 million barrels of crude and diesel from emergency reserves. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures closed down at $91.45 a barrel, while international Brent crude stood at $102.80.

Shares of Broadcom climbed approximately 3.5% on Friday following reports that its banking syndicate has begun accumulating $60 billion in specialized artificial intelligence financing. The massive capital pool is intended to support prominent AI development startups like Anthropic. This development gave a substantial boost to the broader semiconductor sector, lifting the iShares Semiconductor ETF by 2%.