**U.S. Stock Market Ends Mixed as Tech Shines and Commodities Slide**

The U.S. stock market closed Friday with mixed signals. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped over 120 points, and the S&P 500 edged slightly lower. In contrast, the Nasdaq managed to stay in positive territory, supported by strength in tech stocks, especially semiconductors.

Despite some gains earlier in the week, Friday’s trading session revealed growing caution among investors. While tech stocks—especially chipmakers—continued to perform well, broader market participation was weak. About 1,590 stocks on the New York Stock Exchange fell, compared to just 850 that gained. This shows that most of the recent market growth is coming from a small group of large tech companies.

**Semiconductors Lead the Charge**

The biggest boost this week came from the semiconductor sector. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) reported strong fourth-quarter earnings and gave an optimistic outlook for the future. This sparked big gains in chip-related stocks and ETFs.

Adding to the excitement, the U.S. and Taiwan announced a major trade and investment agreement. Taiwanese tech firms are planning to invest at least $250 billion into U.S. chip production over the next few years. This move is seen as a way to strengthen America’s tech supply chains and reduce dependence on foreign manufacturing during uncertain geopolitical times.

As a result, chip stocks like NVIDIA rose 1.5% to $189.87, and Micron Technology jumped 7.68% to $362.48—just shy of its 52-week high. Intel also edged up 0.21%, while Apple dipped slightly by 0.32%.

**Small-Cap Stocks See Big Moves**

Among individual companies, biotech firm ImmunityBio surged 22.41% to $4.83, with heavy trading volume driven by investor speculation rather than company fundamentals. Locafy, another small-cap stock, soared 81.47% to $5.68 on unusually high volume, although it remains highly volatile.

**ETFs Show Investor Sentiment**

Traders also showed strong interest in leveraged ETFs tied to tech stocks and semiconductors. The Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x Shares (SOXL) jumped 6.75% as investors bet on continued gains in chip stocks. Meanwhile, the bearish counterpart (SOXS) fell 5.76%, showing less interest in shorting the sector.

Tesla-related ETF TSLL rose 2.89% to $18.50, indicating ongoing speculative interest in electric vehicles despite broader market caution.

**Commodities Take a Hit**

Precious metals saw notable declines. Gold slipped 0.2% to $4,614.40 per ounce, while silver tumbled 3.68% to $88.94. Platinum dropped 4.18% to $2,309.10, driven by profit-taking after recent gains.

Industrial metals also weakened. Copper fell 2.85% to $5.82, reflecting investor concerns about slowing global economic growth.

In ETF trading related to metals, the ProShares UltraShort Silver (ZSL) rose 5.67%, benefiting from silver’s drop. In contrast, the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) fell 2.75%, tracking the metal’s decline.

**Bond Yields Edge Higher**

In the bond market, Treasury yields moved higher due to ongoing inflation concerns and long-term fiscal risks. The 10-year yield increased to 4.182%, while the 30-year yield climbed to 4.809%. Shorter-term yields like the 2-year stayed near 3.569%, putting pressure on rate-sensitive investments.

**Currencies and Crypto Stay Steady**

Currency markets were mostly calm. The euro traded around 1.1621 against the U.S. dollar, while the dollar rose against the Japanese yen to 157.85.

Cryptocurrencies had a quiet session as well. Bitcoin slipped 0.4% to $95,199, Ether fell 0.73% to $3,294, and Litecoin posted a small gain. The digital asset market appears to be consolidating after recent rallies.

**Market Outlook: Narrow Gains, Rising Risks**

Overall, Friday’s market action reflects a trend where investors continue to chase growth in select sectors like AI and semiconductors while pulling back from commodities and defensive assets. Experts warn that although fundamentals like earnings and revenues remain strong, high valuations leave little room for error.

With political uncertainty ahead of U.S. elections and geopolitical risks still present, many analysts believe we’ve entered a more fragile phase of this market cycle—where selectivity and timing matter more than ever for investors and traders alike.