Precious metals continued to dominate Wall Street headlines on Friday as silver surged through the $100-per-ounce threshold and traded around $101 per ounce by midday in New York, marking a staggering 230% gain over the past year.
Gold flirted with the equally eye-catching $5,000-per-ounce level, a price that stood nearly 80 percentage points lower just a year earlier.
The rally extended beyond gold and silver. Across the broader commodities complex, momentum remained strong.
Palladium jumped 6%, breaking above $2,000 per ounce for the first time since November 2022, while platinum surged 5% to fresh all-time highs above $2,700 per ounce. Copper climbed 3% to $6 per pound.
Energy prices also pushed higher. Henry Hub natural gas rose another 2% to $5.15 per million British thermal units, lifting week-to-date gains to more than 60% and marking the strongest weekly surge on record amid the extreme cold wave hitting America. Crude prices advanced as well, with WTI rising more than 2% to near $61 a barrel.
On Wall Street, stocks paused after two days of robust gains. By 1:00 p.m. in New York, the S&P 500 traded broadly flat, while the Nasdaq 100 rose 0.5%. Small caps lagged, with the Russell 2000 falling 0.6%.
The energy sector led the market for a second straight session, reaching levels last seen in 2014, while financials underperformed.
In earnings, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) emerged as the day’s biggest mover, plunging more than 17% in its worst session since August 2024 after the chipmaker issued weak first-quarter 2026 guidance.
In crypto markets, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) rose 1.9% to $90,600.
Friday’s Performance In Major US Indices, ETFs
| Major Indices | Price | 1-day % |
| • Nasdaq 100 | 25,646.73 | 0.5% |
| • S&P 500 | 6,916.19 | 0.0% |
| • Dow Jones | 49,041.20 | -0.7% |
| • Russell 2000 | 2,672.70 | -1.7% |
According to Benzinga Pro data:
- The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE:IWM) fell 1.71% to $265.18.
- The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSE:DIA) declined 0.7% to $490.09.
- The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) rose 0.4% to $623.12.
- The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:VOO) traded flat at $633.53.
- The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLE) outperformed, up 1%; the Financials Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLF) lagged, down 1.6%.
Russell 1000’s Top Gainers On Friday
| Stock | % Change |
|---|---|
| Corcept Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:CORT) | +6.71% |
| Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. (NYSE:BAH) | +6.40% |
| Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE:ALK) | +6.20% |
| Rocket Lab Corp. (NASDAQ:RKLB) | +6.02% |
| Fortinet Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT) | +5.44% |
Russell 1000’s Top Losers On Friday
| Stock | % Change |
|---|---|
| Intel Corp. | -16.91% |
| First Citizens BancShares Inc. (NASDAQ:FCNCA) | -8.88% |
| Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE:COF) | -6.99% |
| Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) | -6.58% |
| Sandisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK) | -6.14% |
Photo: Shutterstock
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