US STOCKS-Wall St dips as tech declines, Middle East tensions mount

داو جونز الصناعي
مؤشر التقلب (VIX) لبورصة خيارات مجلس شيكاغو (CBOE)
إس آند بي 500
ناسداك

Dow Jones Industrial Average

DJI

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CBOE Volatility Index

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S&P 500 index

SPX

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NASDAQ

IXIC

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Indexes down: Dow 0.56%, S&P 500 0.45%, Nasdaq 0.57%

May consumer prices data largely in line with estimates

Super Micro Computer dips after plan to raise $7 billion

Trucking shares down after Amazon launches LTL freight offering

Updates after market open

By Joel Jose and Twesha Dikshit

- Wall Street's major indexes edged lower on Wednesday, as technology stocks extended losses and renewed tensions between the United States and Iran overshadowed a tame inflation reading.

Volatility has picked up across stock markets in recent days, as investors contend with a widening array of risks, including high valuations in the tech sector, escalating Middle East tensions and expectations that the Federal Reserve may need to hike interest rates to curb inflation.

The CBOE Volatility Index .VIX rose 0.78 points to 20.65, after hitting its highest level since April 7 in the previous session.

U.S. consumer prices increased 4.2% in the 12 months through May, the largest gain since April 2023, data showed, as the Middle East conflict raised the price of gasoline and other energy products.

The pace of increase was, however, in line with forecasts, as per a Reuters poll of economists.

"While it is very much in-line with expectations, it's still moving in the wrong direction," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth.

"That hasn't changed the narrative around what the Fed will do at its next meeting, but the overarching consensus is that the Fed will hold steady."

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates at its June policy meeting. Investors are pricing in at least one 25 basis point rate hike by the end of the year.

Technology and AI stocks have borne the brunt of the selloff as investors priced in a tighter monetary policy and worried about stretched valuations in the sector.

Nvidia NVDA.O, Broadcom AVGO.O and Micron Technology MU.O fell between 1% and 3.8%, with losses rising again after a brief rebound on Monday. The S&P 500 tech index .SPLRCT was down 1.1%.

Super Micro Computer SMCI.O tumbled 14.2% after announcing plans to raise $7 billion through a series of equity and equity-linked financing transactions to fund component purchases for its growing AI server demand.

The rotation out of highly subscribed technology shares has aided other areas of the markets that have lagged this year, including healthcare, real estate and consumer staples.

Six of 11 major S&P 500 sectors moved higher, with energy shares .SPNY leading gains, as oil prices rose more than 1%. O/R

At 09:37 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 285.36 points, or 0.56%, to 50,586.75, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 33.44 points, or 0.45%, to 7,353.21 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC lost 147.78 points, or 0.57%, to 25,531.04.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran had taken too long to negotiate a deal and would now "have to pay the price," while Tehran said it would reassess diplomatic engagement with Washington after overnight tit-for-tat strikes.

The much-hyped $1.75 trillion listing of SpaceX SPCX.O on Friday, targeting a record $75 billion raise, could also pressure U.S. stocks as concerns mount over excessive optimism in the tech sector.

Among other movers, shares of trucking companies XPO XPO.N, J.B. Hunt JBHT.O and Old Dominion ODFL.O fell between 2.5% and 6.2% after Amazon AMZN.O announced expansion of its less-than-truckload freight services in the U.S. The industrials index .SPLRCI slid 1%.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.17-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.05-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 posted 13 new 52-week highs and four new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 35 new highs and 71 new lows.