LIVE MARKETS-US stocks bounce toward the conclusion of a losing week

Here's where things stood as of 9:50 a.m. ET:

(Stephen Culp)

Investors are increasingly turning a skeptical eye on the flood of corporate bond issuance to fund the massive artificial intelligence buildout, demanding higher yields for the debt and buying insurance in the form of credit default swaps.

The chips sector .SOX, while still outperforming the broader market year-to-date, has lost some of its luster in recent weeks. The index, while up 0.6% in early trade, is down 3.7% this week, and off 7.0% for the quarter so far.

AI superstar Nvidia's NVDA.O quarterly earnings report, expected next week, is likely to provide some insight into whether the rush to invest billions in the nascent technology continues to be reflected in chip demand.

Iran vowed a "devastating" retaliation to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's threats to impose "the toughest sanctions in history" on Iran, in an effort to "collapse this regime," further dimming any hopes for a near-term offramp from the Washington-Tehran quagmire, which means continued upward pressure on energy prices and broader inflation.

WTI crude is modestly lower early in the session, but is on track for its second weekly gain.

Wall Street is attempting in early trading on Friday to claw its way out of the hole of Thursday's selloff.

While all three major U.S. stock indexes burst from the starting gate with solid gains, they remain on track to end lower than last Friday's close as they stumble toward the end of a week fraught with a bond rout which has sent long-term yields soaring amid ballooning sovereign and corporate debt, inflation angst and geopolitical tumult.