The US stock market drifted through mixed trading on Friday, as a zigzag week punctuated by loud threats and pullbacks finished with a quiet and tentative close.

The S&P 500 was basically flat and edged up by less than 0.1 percent to 6,915, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6 percent to 49,098, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3 percent to 23,501.

The majority of stocks on Wall Street fell, and Intel weighed on the market after tumbling 17 percent. The chip company reported better results for the end of 2025 than analysts expected. But investors focused instead on its forecast for the first three months of this year, which fell short of Wall Street’s expectations.

Gold’s price, meanwhile, rose to another record Friday and neared US$5,000 per ounce in a signal that investors are still looking for something safer to own. It’s already up nearly 15 percent for the year so far. (AP)