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Sunday, June 7, 2026

07/06/26, US Stock Markets tumbled on Friday


The US stock markets tumbled on Friday amid a violent sell-off for chip stocks, wiping out nearly $2 trillion in market value. Stronger-than-expected jobs data fuelled possibility of a rate hike by the US Federal Reserve, while a fresh flare-up in Middle East hostilities left investors defensive ahead of the weekend. The NASDAQ recorded its biggest drop since April 2025, S&P 500 dropped 2.64%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost nearly 700 points.

Data indicates that AI heavy hitters lost about $1.3 trillion in market value as the sell-off continued on Friday. NVIDIA fell about 6% on Friday, with the world’s most valuable chipmaker cleaving more than $300 billion from its market capitalisation. Semiconductor company Broadcom also fell nearly 8% amid a loss-making streak since it reported underwhelming results on Wednesday. The PHLX chip index slumped 10.3% in its deepest one-day loss since March 2020.

What triggered the crash?

A blowout jobs report fueled bets of a rate hike by the US Federal Reserve and seemingly left investors scrambling on Friday. Data showed that American employers added far more jobs than expected in May. This, in turn, bolstered bets ⁠that the Fed could raise rates late this year.

“We’re talking about a strong economy. That just adds to inflation risk coming from the Gulf. It makes it difficult for the Fed to even think about rate cuts and might even increase the chances — although we’re still not forecasting that yet — of a rate hike by the Fed before the end of the year against the backdrop of inflation,” Gary Schlossberg, market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, told Reuters..

US Treasury yields also surged following the report and the yield on the 2-year note (which typically moves in step with Fed rate ‌expectations) hit a 15-month high.

Several factors appear to have contributed to the abrupt crash after the chip index hit a record high on Wednesday. Reports suggest that the group may have lost ground on Thursday amid disappointment over Broadcom’s failure to raise its AI chip outlook. But the selling on Friday reached a new level of intensity, with some tech-heavy indexes and funds reporting their worst losses since the COVID-19 pandemic.

A spike in Treasury yields following the stronger-than-expected jobs report for May worsened the situation. Fresh developments on the Iran war front also added to the investor wariness as Tehran reaffirmed support for the Hezbollah militia and demanded Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon. This has further complicated efforts to end the broader conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Israel ⁠has said it would not withdraw troops from Lebanon.

“We’re talking about a strong economy. That just adds to inflation risk coming from the Gulf. It makes it difficult for the Fed to even think about rate cuts and might even increase the chances — although we’re still not forecasting that yet — of a rate hike by the Fed before the end of the year against the backdrop of inflation,” Gary Schlossberg, market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, told Reuters.

Oil set for first weekly gain in three weeks

Oil prices slipped ‌on Friday after Oman said operations at Mina al Fahal port were proceeding normally. Brent crude futures fell 2% to settle at $93.09 ‌a barrel and US crude ​dipped 2.69% to $90.54 ​per barrel — with both ​contracts set to post their first weekly gains in three weeks.

Gold falls about 3% 

Precious metals also faced a sharp plunge after jobs data reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer amid inflation concerns. Gold fell about 3% on Friday to $4,341.52 per ounce, spot silver dropped 6.8% to $68.86 per ounce, platinum fell 5.9% to $1,788.49, and palladium slid ​5.9% to $1,242.50. All three metals were headed for weekly losses. Bullion was down about 4.3% this week.

Although gold is seen as an inflation hedge, higher rates tend to ​weigh on the metal. Markets are currently pricing ⁠about a 72% chance of a Fed rate hike in December, according to CME Group’s FedWatch tool, compared to about 50% before the jobs data.

Report by Anwesha Mitra for FinancialExpress

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07/06/26, US Stock Markets tumbled on Friday

The US stock markets tumbled on Friday amid a violent sell-off for chip stocks, wiping out nearly $2 trillion in market value. Stronger-than...