"The S&P 500 fell 1.98% for the week, and the Nasdaq 100 dropped 1.24%. The Magnificent 7 mirrored that split: Microsoft surged while Apple fell, and Alphabet dropped 4.25% with the rest scattered in between. The VIX fear gauge spiked 27.5% week-over-week, reaching 23.75 by Thursday, pushing into elevated uncertainty territory."
"Mid-week geopolitical tensions tied to the Iran conflict rattled markets. The headline is oil prices have surged. That's raised the fear gauge and led to a broad sell-off of stocks. Friday's close was especially 'fear-driven' as investors fled stocks seen as more risky. AI darlings like Lumentum and Bloom Energy saw steep declines in the last 30 minutes of trading before the weekend."
"On Friday night, the S&P 500 completed a quarterly rebalancing that added several AI infrastructure names including Vertiv, Lumentum, Coherent, and EchoStar, effective March 23, reflecting how deeply AI infrastructure has penetrated the broader index. Lumentum and Coherent were seen as 'long shots' to join, while Vertiv was the favorite."
Markets experienced significant volatility as the Magnificent 7 stocks moved in opposite directions. The S&P 500 declined 1.98% while the Nasdaq 100 dropped 1.24%, with Microsoft surging and Apple falling. The VIX fear gauge spiked 27.5% to 23.75, reflecting elevated uncertainty. Mid-week geopolitical tensions related to Iran conflict caused oil prices to surge and triggered broad stock sell-offs. AI infrastructure stocks faced particular pressure on Friday before the market close. However, the S&P 500's quarterly rebalancing added several AI infrastructure names including Vertiv, Lumentum, Coherent, and EchoStar, providing validation for the sector. Microsoft emerged as the week's standout performer, with analysis reframing its heavy AI capital expenditure as profit-driving rather than margin-destructive.
Read at 24/7 Wall St.
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