US equities edged higher on Friday as the recent surge in Treasury yields paused, providing some relief from the tight financial conditions weighing on corporates. The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq 100 each gained roughly 0.5%.
Oil and fuel prices declined after reports that the US and Iran were moving closer to a deal that would lift naval blockades on tankers in the Persian Gulf and ease certain economic sanctions on Tehran. In turn, benchmark borrowing costs stabilized after reaching multi‑decade highs the previous day.
AI-related stocks outperformed, particularly in hardware. Marvell, Micron, SanDisk, and Applied Materials all rose more than 2%. GE Vernova climbed about 1%, supported by its exposure to data-center build‑out and infrastructure demand.
Meta was on track to end the week up nearly 15%, extending gains after unveiling its Muse AI agents alongside a suite of new hardware products, including wearable agent controllers, updated VR headsets, and smart glasses.
