US stocks fall as AI favorites drag markets lower amid valuation concerns

Market Overview - US equities experienced a decline as artificial intelligence (AI) stocks faced renewed selling pressure, impacting major indexes negatively [2][3] - The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 287 points (0.6%), the S&P 500 dropped by 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite slid by 1.39%, marking a challenging week for the tech-heavy index [3] AI Sector Performance - AI-related companies, which had previously driven market rallies, are now experiencing heightened volatility as investors question the sustainability of their valuations [5][7] - Major players like Nvidia, Microsoft, Palantir Technologies, Broadcom, and AMD led the downturn, contributing to the overall market decline [4][6] Labor Market Concerns - October job cuts reached a 22-year high with over 153,000 layoffs, nearly tripling the number from September and representing a 175% increase year-over-year [9][10] - This data indicates growing weakness in the labor market, raising concerns about the resilience of the US economy amid ongoing government shutdowns [10] Corporate Earnings and Movements - Datadog's stock surged by 25% after exceeding profit and revenue expectations, reporting earnings of 55 cents per share on revenue of $886 million [11] - Conversely, Qualcomm's stock fell by 3% despite strong quarterly earnings due to concerns over potential future business losses with Apple [5][7] - Other notable movements included Brighthouse Financial jumping 26% on acquisition news and Golden Entertainment soaring 36% following a buyout announcement [12][13]