NEW YORK, June 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended lower on Friday as concerns mounted over rising costs in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector and potential delays in major AI-related initial public offerings.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 44.51 points, or 0.09 percent, to 51,876.11. The S&P 500 sank 3.47 points, or 0.05 percent, to 7,354.02. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 60.99 points, or 0.24 percent, to 25,297.62.Six of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors closed higher, led by health and consumer discretionary with gains of 3.16 percent and 1.55 percent, respectively. Industrials and technology were the main laggards, declining 1.53 percent and 1.05 percent, respectively.Concerns are growing that surging costs for memory and storage components could weigh on device makers, following Apple's recent price increases on MacBooks and iPads. Micron Technology's strong quarterly results highlighted continued tight supply in the sector, adding to the pressure.OpenAI is considering delaying its mega initial public offering until 2027 further dampened enthusiasm for the AI trade, according to a report from The New York Times. OpenAI also said Friday it is restricting the release of its new model at the request of the U.S. government, the latest in an unprecedented vetting of AI products that could pose cybersecurity risks.The sector also faced headwinds from rising expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike later this year.Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said Friday he now expects a rate hike by the end of 2026 in comparison with his earlier anticipation of a rate cut for the same period.The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, rose 4.1 percent year-on-year in May, up from 3.8 percent in April. On a monthly basis, headline PCE increased 0.4 percent. The core PCE index, excluding food and energy, rose 3.4 percent year-on-year and 0...

Tokyo stocks ended lower on Friday, with the benchmark Nikkei stock index briefly plunging more than 5 percent, logging its third-largest point drop ever.

Hong Kong's stock market ended lower Friday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index down 1.76 percent to close at 22,671.86 points.

The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, closed 2.02 percent lower at 2,343.66 points on Friday.

Chinese stocks closed lower on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 2.26 percent to 4,027.26 points.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 4.07 percent to close at 4,194.21 points Friday.

Chinese stocks opened lower on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.52 percent to open at 4,098.69 points.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, was down 1.2 percent to open at 4,319.41 points Friday.

The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, opened 1.21 percent lower at 2,362.92 points on Friday.

The Hang Seng Index lost 124.82 points, or 0.54 percent, to open at 22,952.09 points on Friday.

Hong Kong's stock market ended lower Thursday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index down 1.43 percent to close at 23,076.91 points.

The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, closed 2.1 percent higher at 2,391.95 points on Thursday.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 2.84 percent to close at 4,371.99 points Thursday.

Chinese stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.23 percent to 4,120.28 points.

Hong Kong stocks fell 321.91 points, or 1.37 percent, to close Thursday's morning session at 23,090.27.

The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, opened 0.42 percent higher at 2,352.37 points on Thursday.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, was up 0.63 percent to open at 4,278.34 points Thursday.

Chinese stocks opened mixed on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.18 percent to open at 4,103.48 points.

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, weakened 14 pips to 6.8209 against the U.S. dollar Thursday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

Hong Kong's stock market ended higher Wednesday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index up 0.33 percent to close at 23,412.18 points. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index inched up 0.07 percent to end at 7,764.97 points, and the Hang Seng Tech Index gained 1.81 percent to end at 4,479.02 points.