US stocks: US market ends down sharply; worries about AI trade and high oil prices weigh

U.S. stock markets experienced a sharp decline on October 16, as concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) trade and high oil prices weighed heavily on investors. AI-related technology stocks, CoreWeave and Broadcom, saw renewed pressure, with CoreWeave losing 12% and its five-day loss reaching approximately 25%. The data center operator's bonds also sold off sharply, pushing yields above 15%.

Broadcom fell 4.5%, and the PHLX chip index declined 3.8% in its eighth consecutive day of losses, the longest streak since 2008. High oil prices, which surged more than 3% due to Middle East supply concerns, also contributed to the market's cautious sentiment. Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist at US Bank Wealth Management, noted that investors were wary of the impact of high oil prices on the price/earnings multiple of stocks.

The S&P 500 closed the session at 7,659.44 points, down 1.09%, the Nasdaq declined 2.15% to 26,140.03 points, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.34% to 52,002.41 points. The S&P 500's weekly decline of almost 1.95% marked its deepest weekly drop since June, and the Nasdaq slumped 4.48%. The Dow climbed 0.67% for the week.

Investors are watching upcoming third-quarter earnings from tech giants like Tesla, Meta Platforms, and Procter & Gamble, with analysts predicting an average quarterly earnings surge of over 30%, driven by AI-related megacaps. Despite the S&P 500's overall 12% gain in 2026, most of the growth came from AI-related tech stocks, which have climbed only about 6% year to date.

Six of the S&P 500's 11 sector indexes rose, led by energy, up 2.47%, and utilities, which gained 1.4%.