U.S. equity futures pointed to a mixed start on Friday, the final session of the trading week. Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) shares slipped in after-hours trading after the chipmaker’s update reignited concerns about the rising cost of artificial intelligence investments.

Most U.S. stocks are rising on Thursday, but a sell-off for Oracle is weighing on Wall Street as investors question whether its big spending on artificial-intelligence technology will pay off. Doubts remain about whether all the spending that Oracle is doing on AI technology will produce the payoff of increased profits and productivity that proponents are promising.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, Confluent shares soared 29.1% after IBM said it would buy the company, which helps customers connect and process data. IBM said the $11 billion deal will help customers deploy artificial-intelligence tools better and faster, and its shares added 0.4%.

U.S. equity futures edged lower early Thursday, hinting at a potential reversal from the prior session’s gains. Traders continued sorting through the implications of the Federal Reserve’s latest rate cut while trying to gauge where borrowing costs may head next.

Trading is calm as Wall Street waits to hear what the Federal Reserve will say on Wednesday about where interest rates are heading.

Ten stocks capped off the trading week delivering strong gains, as investors took heart from a flurry of positive corporate developments that bolstered buying appetite.

As the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and Dow Jones Industrial Average have climbed to never-before-seen levels, stock valuations are attempting to follow suit. Wall Street appears set to enter the new year with the second priciest stock market on record -- and history offers investors a dire warning of what's to come.

The U.S. stock market rose to the edge of its all-time high. The S&P 500 added 0.2% Friday and finished just shy of its record closing level, which was set in October.

A sell-off for Oracle is weighing on Wall Street as investors question whether its big spending on artificial-intelligence technology will pay off. The S&P 500 fell 0.2% Thursday and pulled further from its all-time high set in October.

The Dow Jones ended 650 points higher on Thursday to close above the 48,700 mark, while the S&P 500 closed above the 6,900 mark for the first time. The index is now just 20 points away from its intraday record of 6,