Finance

Brent crude futures experienced sharp price fluctuations, retreating roughly 4% to end near $96.78 a barrel after reports emerged that Pakistan and Iran might explore new diplomatic avenues through Chinese mediation. Despite Friday's contraction, energy commodity prices ended the week significantly higher due to escalating military exchanges and trade route disruptions in the Persian Gulf. The elevated energy costs have renewed investor anxieties regarding persistent inflation and long-term interest rate projections.

The broader chip industry suffered massive losses at the end of the week, underscored by an 8.5% plunge in the Roundhill Memory ETF. Individual hardware manufacturers faced aggressive liquidation, with Sandisk dropping 11% and Micron Technology sliding 7%. Wall Street investors have grown increasingly cautious regarding the immense capital expenditure plans of technology giants, leading to sharp corrections across hardware names despite solid headline earnings reports.

The cryptocurrency landscape remains under pressure as Bitcoin struggles to maintain momentum, hovering around the $64,000 to $65,000 range amid geopolitical tensions and capital rotation. Market sentiment indicators remain firmly entrenched in the fear zone, weighed down by high interest rates, a stronger dollar, and intense asset competition from artificial intelligence equities. Traders are broadly taking a risk-off stance as broader macroeconomic uncertainties continue to dampen the liquidity needed to spark a sustainable crypto rebound.