Major U.S. stock indices ended Friday's session in negative territory, concluding the week with losses. For the week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.31%, the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.95%, and the S&P 500 dropped 0.44%. A report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that wholesale prices rose at a faster-than-expected pace in January, dampening hopes that inflation is easing. The core Producer Price Index (PPI), which excludes volatile food and energy prices, increased a seasonally adjusted 0.8% month-over-month, up from a 0.6% rise in December and significantly exceeding the consensus forecast of a 0.3% gain. Friday marked the final trading day of February, during which the major indices showed mixed performance. The Dow edged up 0.17% for the month, marking its tenth consecutive monthly gain. The Nasdaq fell 3.38%, while the S&P 500 declined 0.87%.

At the close, the Dow was down 521.28 points, or 1.05%, at 48,977.92. The S&P 500 lost 29.98 points, or 0.43%, to 6,878.88. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 210.17 points, or 0.92%, to 22,668.21. NVIDIA (NVDA) continued its decline from the previous session, closing down 4.16%. CoreWeave (CRWV) finished the day 18.51% lower, while Dell Technologies (DELL) surged 21.93%.

In European markets, Germany's DAX 30 index gained 12.44 points, or 0.05%, to 25,290.14. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 63.13 points, or 0.58%, to 10,909.83. France's CAC 40 fell 40.18 points, or 0.47%, to 8,580.75. The Euro Stoxx 50 declined 26.71 points, or 0.43%, to 6,134.85. Spain's IBEX 35 dropped 160.52 points, or 0.87%, to 18,336.08. Italy's FTSE MIB decreased 313.44 points, or 0.66%, to 47,112.50.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.16%, while South Korea's KOSPI index fell 1%.

In cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin fell over 2.5% to $65,765.18. Ethereum declined over 5% to $1,924.81.

Oil prices advanced, with WTI crude for April delivery up 2.8%, settling at $67.02 per barrel. Brent crude for April settlement rose to $72.4 per barrel.

The U.S. dollar index was nearly flat on Friday, erasing gains made after the stronger-than-expected PPI data. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed after paring a loss of less than 0.2%, ending the month essentially flat.

Among metals, spot gold rose 1.84% to $5,280.30 per ounce. Spot silver surged over 6.2% to $93.784 per ounce.

In corporate news, Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk's space exploration company, SpaceX, is reportedly considering confidentially filing for a U.S. IPO as soon as March. The IPO could seek a valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion for SpaceX. The company, based in Starbase, Texas, aims to file a draft registration statement with the SEC in March for a potential listing in June. If completed, it would follow major IPOs from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. Specific details are still being finalized and could change, with the filing timeline subject to delay. Following its recent acquisition of Musk's AI firm xAI in February, SpaceX's overall valuation has reached approximately $1.25 trillion. A confidential filing allows a company to receive regulatory feedback before public disclosure. The potential IPO could raise up to $50 billion, surpassing the record $29 billion raised by Saudi Aramco in 2019. An internal memo indicated that a 2026 listing is intended to fund projects including the Starship vehicle, space-based AI data centers, and a lunar base.

Paramount (PSKY) has agreed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) for $31 per share. The transaction values Warner Bros. Discovery at an enterprise value of $110 billion, representing a multiple of 7.5 times its projected 2026 EBITDA, assuming full synergies. The deal has received unanimous approval from the boards of both companies and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026. Paramount will issue $47 billion worth of new Class B shares at $16.02 per share, with the Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners providing full investment commitments.

Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) is exploring a plan to spin off its assets, including the social media platform "Truth Social," into a new publicly traded company. This follows the recent completion of a $60 billion merger plan with nuclear energy company TAE Technologies. Shares of the spun-off entity would be distributed to registered shareholders of Trump Media prior to the completion of the TAE transaction. The spin-off company would then merge with a special purpose acquisition company, Texas Ventures Acquisition III. The move aims to separate the social media business from the company's investments in commercial nuclear fusion, as it seeks to capitalize on the significant energy demand driven by the artificial intelligence boom. Negotiations are ongoing, and a final agreement has not yet been reached.

In analyst actions, Bank of America raised its price target on Dell Technologies (DELL) to $155 from $135.