Wall Street ends lower as revenue misses revive AI jitters

On Thursday, US stocks slid as investors reevaluated big tech's substantial AI investments amid the release of strong earnings and pivotal inflation data following the Federal Reserve's decision to maintain interest rates. The tech-heavy Nasdaq suffered the most significant decline, while the small-cap Russell showed a 1.0% increase.

Semiconductor stocks ended their four-day winning streak, dropping 1.4% as investors attempted to differentiate between companies capable of financing their AI ambitions and those struggling with cash and debt. Alphabet's shares dropped 12.6%, impacting the communication services sector, following a revenue miss and increased AI-related cash burn.

The risk of negative AI story interpretation did not necessarily indicate weakness across the entire market, according to Ross Mayfield, an investment strategy analyst at Baird. The Federal Reserve held US interest rates steady, acknowledging elevated price pressures but retaining the decision on its next move for future assessment.

Economic data released on Thursday revealed that the US economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter, while price growth continued to intensify due to a supply crunch in oil driven by geopolitical tensions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 132.54 points, the S&P 500 declined 23.59 points, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 365.13 points.

Third-quarter earnings season was halfway complete, with 253 S&P 500 companies reporting; 81% of them exceeded analyst expectations. Analysts now project an aggregate third-quarter S&P 500 earnings growth of 31% year-over-year. Despite some positive performances, such as Caterpillar, Eli Lilly, Ford, and Merck, software stocks like Fortinet, ServiceNow, and Marvell Technology underperformed. Amazon's stock fell 6.5% after providing disappointing fourth-quarter sales guidance.