United States
The S&P 500 closed Friday at $7,489.72, up 1.03% for the week, as technology stocks drove gains. The Nasdaq climbed 1.77% to $25,373.85, outpacing the Dow Jones, which rose 0.53% to $52,485.03. The Russell 2000 edged down 0.57% to $2,931.34, reflecting divergence between large-cap and small-cap performance.
Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) led weekly gains, advancing 19.43% and 17.37% respectively. Alphabet (GOOGL) gained 9.05%. The three companies added nearly $1.5 trillion in combined market value during the week on persistent appetite for artificial intelligence infrastructure spending. Despite the rally, technology's boom carries rising costs: cash burn and elevated memory chip prices are inflating the price tag of large-scale AI buildouts across the sector.
Apple (AAPL) declined 8.31%, bucking the tech rally. Coinbase (COIN) fell 12.68% as cryptocurrency markets weakened; executives attribute the decline to broader market conditions rather than company fundamentals. Oil and gas stocks rose on elevated crude prices, as geopolitical tensions involving Iran bolstered energy demand forecasts. Exxon and Chevron saw profits surge during the period.
Bitcoin maintained monthly gains but faced volatility heading into August; forced-selling exhausted from the previous month, though market conditions remain choppy. Separately, a new report indicates China may have developed a top-tier artificial intelligence model partly using Nvidia (NVDA) chips, adding scrutiny to US tech export controls. The Trump administration's AI executive order approaches a key regulatory deadline.
Italy
The FTSE MIB closed Friday at €52,173.00, up 0.23% for the week. Eni (ENI.MI) led gainers with a 6.70% weekly advance, benefiting from elevated oil prices driven by Iran-related geopolitical risk. Ferrari (RACE.MI) gained 3.57%, while Stellantis (STLAM.MI) and Leonardo (LDO.MI) posted more modest gains of 1.91% and 1.26% respectively.
Week ahead
Economic calendars shift focus to corporate earnings and macro data releases, with continued attention to artificial intelligence spending trends and energy markets as geopolitical risks persist.