Nasdaq ends sharply lower as hot inflation data stirs rate-hike worries

The Nasdaq experienced its largest single-day decline in over a year on Wednesday, plummeting 1.88% to 26,692.87 points. This sharp drop was triggered by alarmingly high inflation data that heightened concerns about additional interest rate increases from the Federal Reserve. Major AI firms such as Oracle and CoreWeave suffered significant losses, with Oracle dropping 8.8% and CoreWeave tumbling 15%.

Additionally, Dell and Hewlett Packard Enterprise declined by 11.4% and 8.2%, respectively, following a downgrade from Barclays. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index also declined 4.3%, marking its sixth consecutive day of losses. Despite Apple's modest gain of 0.5%, its market capitalization surpassed the US$5 trillion mark for the first time.

Consumer prices surged in September, driven by rising gasoline costs and broader price pressures, causing increased bets on a 37% chance of a Fed rate hike this month. Market participants expressed disappointment, as the data intensified the pressure on the Fed to implement more rate hikes to combat inflation, a primary concern for both investors and policymakers.