Tech stocks lead market bloodbath as fears of Fed rate hikes add to worries about the AI boom
The Nasdaq fell 4% (worst since April 2025), with the S&P 500 down 2.6% and the Dow off 1.35%, as fears of Fed rate hikes pressured tech and chip stocks. Broadcom’s late-Wednesday guidance after quarterly results and Friday’s strong jobs report (172,000 net jobs added; prior months revised up) drove yields higher (10-year to 4.532%).

AVGO guidance disappointment is the proximate catalyst for the risk-off move in semis/AI-linked tech.
Broadcom (AVGO) delivered disappointing guidance after quarterly earnings, triggering a Thursday selloff that spilled into tech broadly.
Near-term downside pressure likely persists as rates fears amplify the selloff impulse.
Background
The selloff is framed around a late-week chain: Broadcom’s disappointing guidance, then a strong jobs report, which lifted 10-year yields and increased odds of tighter Fed policy.
Why it matters
The key mechanism is valuation compression for AI/growth tech as investors price a higher probability of rate hikes; semis are highlighted as leading decliners after AVGO’s guidance.
Market relevance
A macro-driven risk-off move is hitting AI/semis, with AVGO guidance acting as the trigger and the jobs/yields dynamic sustaining pressure.
Market effects
Semiconductors and AI-linked mega-cap tech are being repriced as higher-duration assets on stronger labor data and higher yields.
US equities (Nasdaq/S&P) are driving a broad risk-off impulse that can spill into global tech/semis via correlations.
Higher US rate expectations can tighten global financial conditions, pressuring growth/AI valuations internationally.
Alternative perspectives
The article notes some analysts think the bar to hikes is still high; if wage growth stays subdued, the selloff could be overdone.
The jobs print is strong but the piece emphasizes productivity and anchored inflation expectations—watch for wage re-acceleration signals rather than headline employment alone.
Key entities
- companyBroadcom
Chip designer whose disappointing guidance is cited as the initial catalyst for the selloff.
- institutionFederal Reserve
Market is repricing the path of rates toward tighter policy after the jobs report.
- governmentU.S. Labor Department
Reported net job gains and revisions that were stronger than forecasts, supporting higher rate-hike odds.



