Market Overview - Stocks experienced a significant decline, particularly in the tech sector, with the Nasdaq dropping 3% for the week, marking its worst performance since April [1][10] - Concerns over consumer sentiment and AI spending contributed to the market downturn, with a notable sell-off in tech stocks [1][8] Consumer Sentiment - Consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level in over three years, with a reading of 50.3, reflecting a 6.2% monthly drop and approximately 30% decline from the previous year [2][4] - The ongoing government shutdown, now in its 38th day, has exacerbated consumer concerns about personal finances and economic stability [2][3] AI Investment Concerns - Investors are increasingly worried about the sustainability of massive investments in AI, drawing parallels to the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s [8][13] - Notable declines in AI-related stocks included Super Micro Computer, which fell about 25% this week, and significant drops in shares of Microsoft, Nvidia, AMD, Palantir, Oracle, and Meta, collectively losing about $1 trillion in market value [8][10] Company-Specific Developments - Palantir's stock dropped more than 13% this week despite beating earnings expectations, as analysts questioned its valuation, leading to a short position revealed by investor Michael Burry [12] - Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang's comments about China potentially "winning the AI race" fueled investor panic, although he later attempted to clarify his statement [13][14] Stock Performance - The tech sell-off was widespread, with AMD, Nvidia, and Oracle each experiencing declines of about 10%, while Meta's shares dipped approximately 6% and Microsoft fell roughly 5% [10][12] - In contrast, some tech stocks like Alphabet and Apple saw smaller declines, with Alphabet down less than 1% and Apple ending the week roughly flat [16][17]
Nasdaq plunges as consumer sentiment nears historic lows, panic over AI spending mounts