NEW YORK, July 24, 2026 — U.S. stocks opened mixed Friday as easing oil prices offered some relief to businesses and consumers, while technology shares remained under pressure from concerns over the enormous cost of building artificial-intelligence infrastructure.
As of approximately 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up about 0.1%, the S&P 500 was nearly flat with a gain of roughly 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite was down approximately 0.4%. Market-tracking funds showed the same split, with the Dow and S&P 500 slightly higher and the technology-heavy Nasdaq lower.
The early moves followed a difficult Thursday session. The Dow closed down 434.77 points, or 0.83%, at 51,711.65. The S&P 500 dropped 49.39 points, or 0.66%, to 7,408.30, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 382.55 points, or 1.50%, to 25,137.69.
Oil prices pulled back after Brent crude briefly rose above $102 a barrel Thursday. Brent was trading near $98 Friday morning, while the United States Oil Fund fell approximately 1.4% shortly after the opening bell.
The decline provided limited relief to airlines, trucking companies, manufacturers and retailers that had been confronting another potential surge in transportation and production expenses.
Oil is retreating, but it remains high enough to keep inflation and interest-rate risks firmly in the market.
Long-term Treasury bonds strengthened modestly, suggesting some of Thursday’s pressure on government borrowing costs had eased. The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF was up approximately 0.2% in early trading.
Technology remained the weakest part of the market. Investors are increasingly separating companies already generating meaningful AI revenue from those committing tens of billions of dollars to data centers, chips and power infrastructure without a clear timetable for returns.
Oracle shares fell approximately 1.2% despite receiving a Pentagon software agreement worth nearly $7 billion. Intel also traded lower after an initial premarket rally, even though the chipmaker reported its strongest revenue growth in more than 15 years.
The mixed reaction demonstrates how demanding technology valuations have become. Strong revenue, large contracts and higher spending plans may no longer be enough unless companies can also show how quickly those investments will translate into sustained earnings and cash flow.
Markets were also absorbing new U.S. tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, Treasury’s latest foreign-exchange review and the European Central Bank’s decision to pause its interest-rate increases.
Investors will now watch oil prices, tariff implementation and additional corporate earnings for direction. The Federal Reserve’s policy meeting next week will provide the next major test, particularly if energy and import costs continue to threaten renewed inflation.
JBizNews Desk | Wall Street
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