Investors kicked off September trading with a bang, with stocks tumbling Tuesday to kick off a historically tough month for markets, with artificial intelligence leader Nvidia (NVDA) and chipmakers leading tech stocks lower. The turn to red comes amid a crucial week of economic and labor market data, led by a key monthly jobs report.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell 1.5%, or more than 600 points. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 2.1%, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) fell 3.3%.
Stocks are retreating from near-record highs as Wall Street retreats after a volatile August, with September likely to be a stormy one. Investors weigh the risk of data shocks or surprises in the presidential race in what is typically a bad month for traders.
Shares of Nvidia (NVDA) fell about 10% on Tuesday, as investors continued to pull back after a lackluster earnings report and lingering questions about the future of AI trading. Shares of other chipmakers also fell in tandem, with Broadcom (AVGO), Qualcomm (QCOM) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) falling more than 6%.
The August jobs report, due out Friday, could also influence how much the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates at its meeting this month. With inflation now slowing, policymakers are on alert for the labor market to return to normal.
For investors, the focus is on whether the signs of a slowdown in July’s jobs report are overblown — or an early warning of a broader slowdown. Any hints of stress could put pressure on the Fed to cut rates further. As of Tuesday, traders were pricing in a 39% chance of a 50 basis point cut rather than a 25 basis point cut, According to the CME FedWatch tool.
U.S. manufacturing rose last month, according to new figures from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). But the measure reflects slowing factory activity, with the reading falling short of the threshold for a contraction in the manufacturing sector.
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