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Drops for computer chipmakers and other winners of the artificial-intelligence boom dragged down stock markets worldwide on Thursday. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% even though more stocks rose within the index than fell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 105 points (0.2%) and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.5%. Higher interest rates also slow the economy and hurt prices for all kinds of investments and worries are rising that the Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world may have to raise rates to rein in the effects of expensive oil. Oil prices are near their highest in a month because of worries that the war with Iran will keep oil tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz and prevent shipments of crude from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. The price for a barrel of Brent crude briefly climbed above $86 per barrel in the morning before erasing the gain and falling back to settle at $84.23, down 0.8% from the day before. U.S. economy reports came in mixed adding to eddies swirling through the bond market. One report said shoppers spent less at U.S. retailers last month than economists expected but after ignoring sales at gasoline stations, spending by U.S. consumers remained resilient. A separate report said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, an indication of a solid job market, while a third report said manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region is better than economists expected. Abbott jumped 10.7% after the healthcare company delivered a fatter profit than expected and raised its forecast for earnings over the full year. J.B. Hunt Transport Services climbed 8% after the freight company likewise topped analysts' expectations for the latest quarter. Nvidia fell by 2.4% making it the heaviest weight on the index. Other AI winners also sank, giving back some of their stellar gains. Micron Technology fell 5.6% to shave its gain for the year so far below 199%. Sandisk fell 12.6% but is nevertheless up 494% for the year so far. Western Digital sank 9.2% but is still up 171% for the year so far. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. In South Korea, drops for AI winners like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix dragged the Kospi index down 6.4%. It's been among the world's shakiest markets in recent weeks because of how dominant the two AI winners are in it. A hike to interest rates by the Bank of Korea also weighed on stocks in Seoul, the first by the bank since 2023. In stock markets abroad, indexes fell across much of Europe and Asia, including drops of 1.8% in Shanghai and 2.8% in Tokyo. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was an outlier and rose 1.3%. Alibaba rose after China's cyberspace regulator said Wednesday it had approved the Apple Intelligence AI tool for use in China. An Alibaba spokesperson said its Qwen model will be integrated into Apple Intelligence. In the bond market, the 10-year Treasury yield edged up to 4.56% from 4.55% late Wednesday and just 3.97% before the war with Iran began. Higher yields have already sent the average 30-year mortgage rate to its highest level in nearly a year. Powered by Capital Market - Live News
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