NextFin News - U.S. stocks rose Friday, with all three major indexes finishing higher for the week, as technology shares rebounded from Thursday's AI-driven sell-off and oil prices eased. The session's central tension stayed the same as earlier in the week: strong earnings expectations and AI enthusiasm on one side, and elevated Treasury yields and energy costs on the other. The 10-year yield rose to about 5.24% after swinging through the day, and oil held near $92 for WTI and $105 for Brent even after President Trump said the U.S. would not attack Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The S&P 500 finished just below its record close of 7,818.93 set Tuesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.83%
The S&P 500 Index rose 0.59%
The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.64%
Stock & Sector Performance
Optical networking and AI-infrastructure suppliers were the standout group. Applied Optoelectronics, Lumentum, Coherent, Ciena and Corning all advanced after Lumentum's CEO said optical parts are "completely sold out" through early 2029, with significant supply shortfalls expected for some products through 2028. Nvidia invested $2 billion each in Lumentum and Coherent earlier this year.
Delta Air Lines was the day's notable decliner after it missed earnings estimates for the first time in two years and cut its 2026 profit outlook. Its fuel bill for the quarter reached $4.1 billion, up 62% from a year earlier. Telecom stocks fell after reports that SpaceX's spectrum deal could threaten AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, while tower stocks such as Crown Castle rose. Humana jumped on Medicare Star Ratings news, while Alignment Healthcare plunged on the same ratings.
The Russell 2000 rose 0.5% to 2,806.98, but it still fell 0.9% on the week and trails the large-cap indexes.
Hot Sectors to Watch
Optical and AI networking showed the clearest fresh momentum. The "sold out through 2029" comment turned the day's rebound into a supply-driven story rather than a simple bounce. It came after Thursday's session, when the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 3.4% on the OpenAI revenue report. Friday's recovery suggests dip-buyers are still active in AI infrastructure, but it does not erase the question the sell-off raised about how quickly AI revenue is growing.
Airlines and fuel-sensitive sectors are the weak side of the market. Delta's guidance cut shows high oil prices feeding directly into corporate profits. That makes the Iran headlines important beyond the oil price itself, because Brent near $105 keeps pressure on transport and travel earnings as the season begins.
Major Story of the Day
Oil and the Iran war remained the dominant macro story, with Delta's results as the first sign of how fuel costs are hitting earnings. President Trump said Thursday the U.S. would hold off on any attack on Iran until after the Nov. 3 midterms and talked of "productive" talks to end the war, which trimmed oil early in the day. Brent still settled at $104.72, up 0.42%, and WTI at $91.85, up 0.39%. Daniela Hathorn, senior market analyst at Capital.com, said continued attacks on shipping around the Strait of Hormuz mean "the geopolitical premium is unlikely to disappear quickly," and that higher crude threatens to keep inflation elevated and complicate the Fed's policy outlook.
For the week, the S&P 500 gained 1.2%, the Dow 0.9% and the Nasdaq 0.6%. Year to date, the S&P 500 is up 14.1%, the Nasdaq 17.7%, the Dow 7.5% and the Russell 2000 13.1%. Bank earnings are due next week.
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