October 31, U.S. stocks closed sharply lower as a deep sell-off in semiconductor and growth names dragged the major averages into the red. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.09% to 51,770.31, the S&P 500 slid 1.82% to 7,580.07, and the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 2.86% to 25,437.00, its worst one-day decline since early summer. Disappointing chip-sector earnings and fears that the Federal Reserve will keep rates elevated for longer soured sentiment, sending investors toward safer corners of the market.
Semiconductors dominated the session’s biggest movers. Intel sank 28.58% after slashing its revenue outlook, triggering a 24.75% fall in the bullish SOXL ETF. Advanced Micro Devices lost 10.88%, Marvell Technology fell 10.05%, and Nvidia retreated 4.22% as traders questioned the durability of AI spending. Coinbase dropped 10.62% alongside weaker crypto prices, while Broadcom slid 5.48%. Mega-caps offered little refuge: Amazon eased 1.41%, Apple slipped 1.23%, Microsoft gave up 1.54%, and Alphabet’s Class A shares fell 1.40%.
Elsewhere, defensive and contrarian plays found favor. The inverse chip fund SOXS rocketed 24.95% to a record high, MindForge jumped 27.68% on a government AI contract, and Jin Medical rallied 26.34% after winning FDA clearance for a new orthopedic device. On the downside, Taiwan Semiconductor fell 5.95% and United Microelectronics dropped 7.54%, extending the global chip slide, while Opera slumped 11.28% and TOP Financial plunged 22.42% in a broad retreat among U.S.-listed Chinese ADRs.
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