US Stocks Plummet Amid Worsening Tech Sell-Off and Economic Uncertainty Looms
The US stock market took a beating yesterday, posting its worst single-day decline in a month as tech stocks fell sharply. The sell-off was triggered by concerns that tech companies are now overvalued, following an extraordinary rally earlier this year fueled by hopes for artificial intelligence breakthroughs. The benchmark S&P 500 and Dow Jones industrial average both slid 1.7%, while the Nasdaq Composite, which is heavily weighted with tech stocks, dropped a whopping 2.3%.
Nvidia, the giant tech company, was at the center of the sell-off, plummeting 3.6% as investors digested news that Japanese investor SoftBank had sold its entire stake in the firm for $5.8 billion.
Analysts say the market is experiencing a "correction" in the AI sector and are witnessing a shift away from tech stocks towards more traditional areas. Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities, noted that there is still uncertainty about the state of the economy, which is contributing to the sell-off.
The US government shutdown, now over after 42 days, has left investors waiting for highly anticipated economic data releases, including job and inflation numbers. However, concerns about interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve have also eroded confidence in the market.
Senior Fed officials have warned that they need to tread with caution, as remarks made on Thursday hinted at a possible rate cut next month. Meanwhile, officials are struggling to finalize release dates for key economic data reports, citing the need to "fully assess the situation" before finalizing revised release dates.
The coming jobs report is expected to provide some clarity, but director of Donald Trump's national economic council Kevin Hassett warned that it will only show how many jobs were added or lost in October, not the headline unemployment rate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics stressed its commitment to publishing employment data as soon as possible, but acknowledged that it may take time to finalize release dates.
The US stock market took a beating yesterday, posting its worst single-day decline in a month as tech stocks fell sharply. The sell-off was triggered by concerns that tech companies are now overvalued, following an extraordinary rally earlier this year fueled by hopes for artificial intelligence breakthroughs. The benchmark S&P 500 and Dow Jones industrial average both slid 1.7%, while the Nasdaq Composite, which is heavily weighted with tech stocks, dropped a whopping 2.3%.
Nvidia, the giant tech company, was at the center of the sell-off, plummeting 3.6% as investors digested news that Japanese investor SoftBank had sold its entire stake in the firm for $5.8 billion.
Analysts say the market is experiencing a "correction" in the AI sector and are witnessing a shift away from tech stocks towards more traditional areas. Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities, noted that there is still uncertainty about the state of the economy, which is contributing to the sell-off.
The US government shutdown, now over after 42 days, has left investors waiting for highly anticipated economic data releases, including job and inflation numbers. However, concerns about interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve have also eroded confidence in the market.
Senior Fed officials have warned that they need to tread with caution, as remarks made on Thursday hinted at a possible rate cut next month. Meanwhile, officials are struggling to finalize release dates for key economic data reports, citing the need to "fully assess the situation" before finalizing revised release dates.
The coming jobs report is expected to provide some clarity, but director of Donald Trump's national economic council Kevin Hassett warned that it will only show how many jobs were added or lost in October, not the headline unemployment rate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics stressed its commitment to publishing employment data as soon as possible, but acknowledged that it may take time to finalize release dates.