Oil Prices Retreat as Geopolitical Tensions Ebb

The dip in energy prices provided immediate relief to government bond yields, which had surged a day earlier amid investor anxiety over a broader regional conflict. Despite the cooling in oil markets, Brent futures remain up 9% for the week, highlighting the volatility still gripping investors as they track the possibility of U.S.-Iran escalation following comments from President Trump regarding potential military action.

U.S. stock indexes reflected this uncertainty with a mixed performance, as the Dow industrials edged higher while the Nasdaq trended lower. Intel shares bore the brunt of the session's selling pressure, sliding more than 4% despite Thursday’s earnings report showing promise for the company's artificial intelligence business. With the Nasdaq tracking toward its first consecutive weekly losses since March, the market remains on fragile footing as traders weigh corporate results against the threat of geopolitical instability.