Wall Street ends sharply down as traders fret about AI disruption

Wall Street ends sharply down as traders fret about AI disruption

By Noel Randewich and Twesha Dikshit

Tue February 3, 2026 6:12 AM  

Wow, what a difference a day makes, but it does point out just how skittish this market is. Just yesterday, AI was once again the darling of Wall Street with optimism abounding. Today, a great panic set in as suddenly investors are suddenly so terribly worried that AI fever may hurt software developers. The reasoning here escapes me. After all, what good is AI for if not for developing very advanced software? Why would that hurt the developers? But there you have it.  The day’s plummet was actually much worse than meets the eye with the Dow dipping almost 600 points by 2 pm and corresponding plunges on the S&P at nearly a minus 120 and the Nasdaq a minus some 560 also by 2 pm.  

S&P 500 flirts with record high; chipmakers and small caps jump

S&P 500 flirts with record high; chipmakers and small caps jump

By Noel Randewich and Pranav Kashyap

Mon February 2, 2026 6:05 AM

Ahead of Q4 reports due later this week from stalwarts Alphabet and Amazon, all the indexes shot straight up and way up and stayed there today. Recent concerns about tech overvaluations and disappointing earnings seemed to have vanished today as AI is once again in the front seat and going strong. Small caps continue to outperform tech but with AI dominating the S&P, the index is already up 2% this year with its first gains in three sessions, though the Russell is up about 6% as the rotation into small caps continues, something very much viewed as confidence in the economy.  

US stocks fall, as investors fret over Trump's Fed nominee, earnings, inflation

US stocks fall, as investors fret over Trump's Fed nominee, earnings, inflation

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Fri January 30, 2026 5:27 AM  

Like yesterday, the indexes were way down during the day but at least the Dow and S&P recovered most of these losses by close. The Dow had reached a low of a minus 600 by 1 pm, the S&P down about 80.  The Nasdaq did not fare nearly as well in a straight downward spiral losing over 330 points by 1 pm.  The simple reason for this was new nerves over the nomination of Powell’s replacement, a hawk who is feared to push for more rate cuts than is healthy and push the already fragile economy into even steeper inflation.  

S&P 500, Nasdaq close down as Big Tech's soaring AI budgets trigger flight

S&P 500, Nasdaq close down as Big Tech's soaring AI budgets trigger flight

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Thu January 29, 2026 7:24 AM  

Tech really took a bath today as, at least for today, investors decided the AI honeymoon was over given a new pessimism over the promise of huge AI expenditures ever turning into profits, especially with Microsoft’s disappointing Q4 report. The losses were far greater earlier in the day than at close with the Dow down almost 400 by 11 a.m., tech going much worse with the Nasdaq losing over 600 in the morning and S&P over 100. 

Nasdaq ends slightly up, S&P 500 flat as Fed brings little surprise

Nasdaq ends slightly up, S&P 500 flat as Fed brings little surprise

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Wed January 28, 2026 4:58 PM  

A completely expected “no change” announcement from the Fed today resulted in very little change to the indexes though tech started quite high in the morning only to immediately decline to near break-even. Even the Dow, though mostly straddling break-even all day, had its moments at times as much as 100 down and 150 up.  The Mag7 was a mixed bag with Microsoft diving after its Q4 report but Meta rising though its positive report came in after close. The good news is that, though the Fed had intended to report that inflation was still too hot and employment still too unstable, they modified their statement that both factors were in better shape than previously thought.  

S&P 500 marks closing record as corporate earnings roll in; Medicare rates hit insurers

S&P 500 marks closing record as corporate earnings roll in; Medicare rates hit insurers

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Tue January 27, 2026 5:00 PM

Tuesday saw a massive flight from industrials as the Dow sank over 400 points and an equally massive migration to tech as Nasdaq gained over 200. Hurting the Dow was a serious hit to healthcare stocks triggered by a White House proposal to raise Medicare premiums. Tech was helped by a deal with Corning getting a $6B contract to supply fiber optic cable to Meta for its AI data centers. The Mag7 companies are reporting in the next 3 days and their earnings will largely determine investor appetite for further investment.  

Wall Street indexes close higher ahead of earnings, Fed meeting

Wall Street indexes close higher ahead of earnings, Fed meeting

By Sinéad Carew and Pranav Kashyap

Mon January 26, 2026 5:00 PM

With a slew of megacap earnings coming later this week and increased optimism that the huge investments in AI will soon start translating into profits, all three indexes headed straight up today with 3-digit gains in both tech and industrials. Investors will be looking to see if the continuing concerns over high tech valuations are justified. It’s a fragile equation though. Even a slight setback could cause a big AI selloff.