On Friday evening, Beijing time, U.S. stocks opened with mixed results as oil prices slightly retreated. Intel posted a 25% revenue increase, its highest growth rate since the third quarter of 2011.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 90.40 points, or 0.17%, to 51,802.05 points. The Nasdaq Composite fell 40.55 points, or 0.16%, to 25,097.14 points. The S&P 500 index gained 1.11 points, or 0.01%, to 7,409.41 points.
Shares of Intel moved higher after the chipmaker's second-quarter results exceeded Wall Street expectations. Notably, the company's revenue grew 25%, marking its highest increase since the third quarter of 2011.
Oil prices, which had been rising steadily in recent days, lost momentum on Friday. Brent crude futures briefly broke above $100 per barrel for the first time since late May before retreating to around $97, a 3% decline. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 2% to above $89 per barrel.
On Thursday, the Dow fell more than 500 points, or about 1%, marking its fifth decline in six trading sessions. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each fell 1.2% and 2.2%, respectively, recording their worst single-day performance since June 23.
Meanwhile, European stock markets opened broadly higher on Friday, with investor sentiment on the continent improving. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was last up 0.5%. London's FTSE 100 gained 0.3%, France's CAC 40 rose 0.4%, and Germany's DAX advanced 0.8%.
However, Asia-Pacific markets closed lower across the board, with South Korean stocks leading the decline. The KOSPI index plunged more than 5.7%. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 2.7%. Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 0.75%.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he would soon decide whether to launch a "massive strike" on Iran, following the extension of the Middle East conflict to a new front in the Red Sea. In an interview with Axios on Thursday, Trump said the proposed strike would be more forceful than any action seen so far in the war, adding that Iran "has not suffered enough yet."
"I am considering a massive strike. It will be larger than anything before. I am close to making a decision. We are fully prepared," Trump said in the interview.
Over the past two weeks, U.S. forces have conducted intense strikes on Iranian targets, with Central Command completing its 13th consecutive night of airstrikes.
Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial, said: "While current market positioning does not guarantee that oil prices will continue to rise, it suggests that the market was not prepared for an upside surprise in the latest round of escalation. And when sentiment and positioning are extremely bearish, even a modest worsening of supply expectations can trigger an exaggerated price reaction."
Quarterly results from Tesla and Alphabet also weighed on the broader market on Thursday. Tesla slumped nearly 15% after reporting second-quarter results that missed expectations, marking its worst single-day performance since March 10, 2025. Alphabet raised its full-year capital expenditure guidance, causing the tech giant to fall 7%, its biggest single-day drop since May 7, 2025.
All major U.S. indexes are currently on track for weekly losses. The Dow and S&P 500 are down 0.8% and 0.7% for the week, respectively. The Nasdaq is performing worse, falling 1.5%.
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