Stocks looked set to continue sliding Friday as investors fretted about the artificial-intelligence trade and geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran. “The positive earnings surprises weren’t on the scale of what markets got used to in 2023-24, and arrived amidst growing scepticism about the AI trade in general,” wrote Deutsche Bank analyst Jim Reid. Oil prices were rising on Friday, having see-sawed the previous session after the latest round of talks between the U.S. and Iran wrapped up without a deal.