Tech stocks slide as Amazon, Intel earnings fuel AI investment doubts
Tech stocks suffered steep losses on Friday after Amazon and Intel posted disappointing earnings, intensifying fears about the AI investment boom. Amazon fell over 7% in after-hours trading, while Intel dropped 23%, and Alphabet plunged more than 12% following weak ad revenue growth. The sell-off spread to Asian markets, with South Korean chipmaker SK hynix diving over 7%, Samsung losing 3%, and Japanese firms Kioxia, Advantest, and SoftBank shedding nearly 6%. Analysts cited concerns that higher funding costs could force hyperscalers to slow AI build-out, despite strong results earlier in the week from SK hynix and Anthropic. Oil prices climbed over 1% toward $120 a barrel on fears of US-Iran hostilities, while Bitcoin tumbled 5% to $76,400 after Binance reported a $6.3 billion hack. The yen strengthened after the Bank of Japan held rates steady, with inflation above its 2% target.