Wall Street climbs on tech rally and SK Hynix debut amid Iran tensions

U.S. equity markets closed higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.29% to 52,637 points, the S&P 500 rising 0.42% to 7,575 points, and the Nasdaq Composite gaining 0.29% to 26,281 points. The advance was led by technology shares, highlighted by a 13% first‑day jump in South Korean memory‑chip maker SK Hynix’s American Depositary Receipts after pricing at $170 per share. Other tech names added fuel, as Meta Platforms rose roughly 6% and Nvidia jumped about 4%, delivering the strongest weekly performance for both stocks since early 2024.

The market backdrop featured renewed attention on the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the cease‑fire with Iran had ended, prompting brief spikes in oil prices. Brent crude retreated to around $75 per barrel by week‑end, while West Texas Intermediate fell modestly. Investors also noted a breakout in the 10‑year U.S. Treasury yield, which rose to its highest level in weeks following hawkish Federal Open Market Committee minutes, setting the stage for the upcoming U.S. CPI release.

Analysts across regions reported similar dynamics: South Korea’s Kospi index rose 2.5%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.2%, while China’s CSI 300 slipped nearly 2% amid pressure on its technology sector. The combined influence of AI‑driven chip demand, geopolitical risk, and inflation expectations shaped the market’s mixed but overall positive close.