NEW YORK (AFP)

Global stocks were subdued and precious metals hit new highs Friday.

Gold -- a safe-haven asset -- pushed closer to a record $5,000 an ounce, while fellow safe haven silver also kept rising, blasting through $102 an ounce.

The market trends followed US President Donald Trump's recent moves in trade and foreign policy.

The dollar retreated, falling to a four-month low against the euro.

European markets sought direction in vain, Frankfurt closing just in the green as London and Paris fell on the red side of the line at the end of the week.

Wall Street painted a similar picture, with the Dow retreating while the Nasdaq pushed higher.

Intel plunged 17 percent after lackluster expectations on the chip maker's earnings.

Asian markets closed higher.

Investors are meanwhile preparing for next week's Federal Reserve meeting following economic data broadly in line with forecasts and after US prosecutors took aim at boss Jerome Powell, which has raised fears over the bank's independence. The bank is tipped to hold interest rates steady, after cutting them in the previous three meetings.

The meeting also comes as Trump considers candidates to replace Powell when the Fed chair's term comes to an end in May.

The Bank of Japan left its key interest rate unchanged ahead of a snap election next week, which could impact government spending plans.

After sharp volatility in the wake of the announcement, the yen traded slightly higher.

Next week's US earnings calendar is packed with results from Apple, Microsoft, Boeing, Tesla, Meta and other corporate giants.

New York - Dow: DOWN 0.6 percent at 49,098.71 (close)
New York - S&P 500: FLAT at 6,915.61 (close)
New York - NASDAQ: UP 0.3 percent at 23,501.24 (close)
London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 10,143.44 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 8,143.05 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.2 percent at 24,900.71 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 53,846.87 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.5 percent at 26,749.51 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 4,136.16 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1823 from $1.1755 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3636 from $1.3501
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 157.00 yen from 158.41 yen
Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.70 pence from 87.07 pence
West Texas Intermediate: UP 2.9 percent at $61.07 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 2.8 percent at $65.88 per barrel