Tech-heavy Nasdaq sinks into correction zone as equity selloff worsens

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed and Ankika Biswas

(Reuters) -Worries over tech earnings and a slowing U.S. economy slammed the Nasdaq Composite Index on Friday, putting it on track for a 10% decline from its early July record high, commonly termed a "correction" by market participants.

The tech-heavy index was down around 3% on Friday, after a softer-than-expected jobs report spurred worries over whether the Federal Reserve will need to deliver hefty rate cuts at its next meeting to prevent the economy from spiraling into recession. Disappointing earnings from Amazon and Intel have also spooked investors.

The Nasdaq has dropped 10.4% from its record close of 18,647.45 points on July 10. An index or stock is widely considered to be in a correction when it closes 10% or more below its previous record closing high.

"This is an old-fashioned correction going on," said Tom Plumb, chief executive and portfolio manager at Plumb Funds. “We passed the economic torch from the perception of growth to the perception of needing government intervention with lower interest rates to stabilize the economy.”

Over the last 44 years, the index has slipped into correction territory after hitting a new high 24 times, or about once every two years, according to a Reuters analysis of LSEG data. In two-thirds of these cases the index traded higher a month after entering correction territory, data showed.

The Nasdaq is still up 12% year-to-date. The S&P 500, which has lost about 6% from its high, is also up 12% this year.

The Nasdaq's tumble comes as investors turn more wary of the highly valued tech stocks that have led the charge higher for most of the year, driven by excitement over the potential of artificial intelligence.

Stocks are also heading into what is typically a seasonally rocky period.

September and October tend to be volatile months for U.S. shares. The Cboe Volatility index - Wall Street's most watched gauge of investor anxiety - averages 21.8 in October, the highest for any month, according to LSEG data going back to 1992.

"This isn’t an unusual seasonality pattern. We had a similar selloff in August 2023, although perhaps this is more forceful," James St. Aubin, Chief Investment Officer at Ocean Park Asset Management said.

"I would look at this as the correction a lot of people were expecting to see coming into the summer. All kinds of things are piling on top of each other to make the market nervous," he said.

Lackluster results from Tesla and Alphabet last month compounded worries about stretched valuations. At the same time, there may be concern that weaker-than-expected results reflect a broader softness in the economy.

"The focus of the market is no longer simply about earnings, but instead, what earnings are saying about the economy overall," JJ Kinahan, CEO IG North America & President of Tastytrade, said in a note.

"Surging bond prices and falling yields are signs investors are seeking safe havens. All of that is an indication that the economy is slowing globally and it's giving investors cause for concern," he said.

(Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed in New York and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by McGee, Suzanne; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili, Toby Chopra and Shinjini Ganguli, Kirsten Donovan)