Global stocks pressured ahead of Fed decision [Video]

Wall Street stocks finished a lackluster week on a muted note Friday as concerns about rising Treasury bond yields competed with enthusiasm over artificial intelligence equities.

Of the major indices, only the Nasdaq mustered a gain in Friday’s session. The tech-rich index was also the only of the three leading US benchmarks to conclude the week higher.

“Equities are kind of treading water,” said LBBW’s Karl Haeling. “A negative influence to some extent is the rise in bond yields.”

The latest US consumer price index data released this week showed prices ticked higher in November and the wholesale data also showed stubborn inflationary pressures.

“Yields rose to their highest levels in over two weeks as markets brace for the Federal Reserve’s final meeting of the year, reflecting concerns over sticky inflation,” said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG.

There is also growing concern over the inflationary …