U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday afternoon, led by a drop in shares of AI chip giant Nvidia (NVDA) as investors awaited major earnings reports from the likes of Microsoft (MSFT) and AMD (AMD).
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 0.5% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (^IXIC) dropped 1.1% following lackluster trading in the major indexes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) held on to a 0.4% gain.
The stock market is in the midst of a critical week with the Fed decision, July jobs data and earnings reports from four of the “Magnificent Seven” large-cap stocks. All of this will be crucial for investors as they weigh hopes for interest rate cuts against concerns that Big Tech companies have lost steam and wonder whether the recent sell-off in stocks is over.
Semiconductor stocks were weak on Tuesday, with Nvidia shares falling 6% during trading hours.
All eyes are now on Microsoft's quarterly report, which will be released after the close of trading and will provide the basis for the results of Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN) and Meta (META) in the coming days.
Wall Street is watching closely for signs that big AI investments are starting to pay off, especially after investors shifted from big tech companies to smaller stocks and a volatile July stock market that highlighted the risks of AI trading.
Coffee shop chain Starbucks (SBUX) and semiconductor giant AMD are scheduled to report earnings after the market closes.
A notable theme has emerged this earnings season: Investors are eager to back underperforming companies that signal they will see a turnaround soon.
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Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve began its July policy meeting on Tuesday. Policymakers are not expected to make any changes to borrowing costs on Wednesday, but they will be setting the stage for a rate cut in September. After strong inflation data in June, market discussions have focused on the timing and number of rate cuts this year.
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