Finance

U.S. equities mixed after initial momentum faded, with investors weighing hawkish signals from the Federal Reserve against strong corporate updates. While tech stocks initially led a rally following a blowout forecast from an artificial intelligence bellwether earlier in the week, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq turned flat or slightly lower as rate-hike concerns took hold. The Dow Jones Industrial Average managed minor gains, supported by stellar post-earnings moves from companies like Salesforce.

Shares of fintech giant PayPal dropped over 11% following reports that Stripe and private equity firm Advent International dropped their proposed buyout. The group had previously pursued a takeover valued at more than $50 billion. The abrupt abandonment of the deal weighed heavily on the payment platform's market valuation during intraday trading.

Bitcoin fell back down toward the $77,000 range after hitting an overnight high near $81,400, its highest opening level since mid-May. The retreat occurred alongside a multi-billion dollar options expiration event involving an estimated $6.4 billion in notional value. Ethereum also experienced downward pressure, sliding below its recent $2,500 threshold as the wider crypto sector saw intraday liquidations.