Wall Street under pressure as investor patience thins ahead of Fed meeting

US equities came under meaningful pressure as resilience to high inflation and tight rates faded. The lofty expectations priced into AI names are no longer sufficient to outweigh macro risks, leaving key tech gauges such as the Nasdaq 100 and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) at risk of finishing July with some of their weakest returns in recent years.

Traders are adopting extreme caution ahead of earnings from major tech corporations and the next Federal Reserve meeting. Rising uncertainty about the Fed's next moves is fueling volatility. Follow the link for more details.

S&P 500 holds critical support ahead of Fed decision, tech earnings

The broad S&P 500 continues to hover around critical support levels as markets pause for big-cap tech reports and the Fed's interest rate decision. A temporary ceasefire earlier provided a short-lived boost, easing oil and supporting a market bounce.

Yet institutional investors remain reluctant to re-engage aggressively, concerned about the payback on massive AI capex. Any disappointing guidance from the tech giants could re-ignite the downtrend and force careful risk management. Follow the link for more details.

Semiconductor rout slams Asian indices, adds pressure to Nasdaq

The global semiconductor sector suffered a heavy wave of profit-taking, triggering trading halts across Asian bourses and sending South Korea's KOSPI down more than 10%. Panic was driven by investor fears over rising competition from Chinese AI startups and reports of Beijing's progress with domestic DUV lithography — developments that could threaten the market dominance of global chipmakers, including Samsung, SK Hynix, Nvidia, and AMD.

On Wall Street, the Nasdaq Composite fell for a fourth consecutive session, entering technical oversold territory. Despite short-term bearish signals and the risk of a break below the key support level of 24,900, the long-term uptrend remains intact, leaving room for local rebounds. Traders looking to act on intraday moves can access Nasdaq products and tech stocks at InstaForex. Follow the link for more details.