There's a Rout in Tech Stocks. What's Going On?

Core Viewpoint - The technology sector has experienced significant losses over the past week, with major companies facing double-digit declines, marking a three-month downturn in tech stocks [1][2]. Group 1: Market Trends - The slump in U.S. technology stocks has persisted for three months, primarily affecting growth stocks, which are companies that typically increase earnings faster than the market average [2]. - Investors have shifted their preference from growth stocks to value stocks, which are less volatile and often have cheaper valuations relative to their earnings and long-term growth potential [3]. - The Russell 1000 Value index has increased by 8.4% since Halloween, while the tech-heavy Russell 1000 Growth index has decreased by 3.7% [4]. Group 2: Investor Sentiment - There has been a notable decline in investor optimism regarding artificial intelligence, which had previously driven technology stock prices higher [6]. - The recent downturn in tech stocks has been exacerbated by a lack of confidence in AI's ability to significantly enhance corporate financial performance and the broader economy [6]. - The rapid rise in tech stock prices has made them vulnerable to sharp declines upon any signs of disappointment, as evidenced by Microsoft's recent stock drop despite beating Wall Street expectations [7]. Group 3: Company-Specific Performance - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has seen a decline of almost 21%, Intuit (INTU) is down more than 17%, Micron Technology (MU) has dropped nearly 13%, Microsoft (MSFT) is down about 7%, Nvidia (NVDA) has fallen 9%, and Salesforce (CRM) has decreased by 12.5% [8]. - Microsoft experienced its largest one-day stock drop since March 2020, falling 11% due to signs of slowing cloud revenue, which is closely tied to AI [9].