NEW YORK, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks closed mixed on Friday as investors weighed a favorable cooling in consumer inflation against the artificial intelligence (AI) anxieties.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1 percent to 49,500.93. The S&P 500 rose 0.05 percent to 6,836.17, while the Nasdaq Composite Index shed 0.22 percent to 22,546.67.
Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics offered some optimism for the Federal Reserve's disinflationary efforts.
The consumer price index rose 0.2 percent month on month in January, bringing the annual inflation rate down to 2.4 percent, the slowest pace of increase since May. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, fell to 2.5 percent year over year.
The technology sector faced sustained downward pressure as the so-called "AI panic trading" spread from enterprise software into more labor-intensive sectors.
Major tech leaders, including Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet and Meta, recorded losses exceeding 1 percent as investors reassessed valuations amid fears that new generative tools could soon render certain white-collar functions obsolete.
On the corporate earnings front, Coinbase soared 16.46 percent as the company reported improved subscription and service revenue despite recent volatility in the digital asset market. Semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials surged 8.08 percent, reaching an all-time high after providing a robust outlook for 2026.
Airbnb rose 4.65 percent on upbeat guidance, while Pinterest and DraftKings both plummeted at least 13 percent following disappointing fiscal forecasts.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond eased to 4.05 percent as the market balanced positive inflation progress against broader economic uncertainty. ■
