The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that U.S. and Canadian stocks fell in choppy trading Thursday as hopes dimmed for a quick end to the Iran war, while investors grappled with a mixed bag of earnings reports and concerns resurfaced about AI-driven disruption across the software sector. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says that stocks weakened after reports that Iran's parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had resigned from the negotiating team. Losses were extended as oil prices shot higher after reports of air attacks in Iran. "We're playing musical chairs between earnings season and these war headlines that are not likely to be that great," said Jay Hatfield at Infrastructure Capital Advisors in New York. "We had a big run, and there are people looking to take some exposure off, and using the war as an excuse is not a bad excuse." The S&P/TSX composite ended down 42.18 points at 33,912.93. U.S. earnings season has been largely strong so far, with 82.1 per cent of the 123 companies that have reported earnings through Thursday topping analyst expectations. The earnings growth rate of 15.6 per cent is up from the 14.4 per cent at the start of the month. Toronto's tech sector fell 4.5 per cent.