Stock markets around the world moved lower Friday as the sell-off in companies tied to the artificial-intelligence boom intensified. Shares that had been among the market’s biggest winners came under heavier pressure, dragging down major indexes and souring sentiment more broadly.
In the United States, the S&P 500 fell 1%, ending its first losing week in the last three and only its third weekly decline since March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8%, while the Nasdaq composite also retreated as weakness in AI-related names weighed on technology shares.
At the same time, oil prices continued to climb, adding another source of concern for investors. Higher energy prices linked to war-related tensions can raise worries about inflation and the economic outlook, making traders more cautious at a time when markets are already pulling back from some of their strongest performers.
The combination of falling AI favorites and rising oil underscored how quickly market leadership can shift. After a long run led by enthusiasm around artificial intelligence, investors appeared to be reassessing risk as higher oil prices and broader uncertainty put pressure on global stocks.
